Conservatives call on Justice Committee to investigate alleged PMO interference

Andrew Scheer and Justin Trudeau.

CONSERVATIVE Party Leader Andrew Scheer announced on Friday that his party and the NDP have called for an emergency meeting of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights to question PMO and other government officials over their potential interference in an ongoing criminal prosecution.

He said: “Reports that Justin Trudeau’s Prime Minister’s Office pressured the former Attorney General to get involved in a criminal prosecution have raised alarming concerns over the conduct of Trudeau and his office.”

Scheer added: “If the Prime Minister has nothing to hide, then members of his government should have no reason to oppose these officials from testifying. Members of Parliament, and all other relevant authorities, have a responsibility to determine what happened here, and both Trudeau and his officials must be forthcoming. We believe this committee investigation is a necessary first step.
“If his MPs vote against a motion and try to cover up what happened, Canadians can only conclude that the reports of political interference are true. Should the Liberals prevent PMO officials from testifying, Conservatives will pursue every course of action to make sure Justin Trudeau and his office are held to account.”
Four members of the Justice Committee, Conservative MPs Michael Cooper, Michael Barrett, and Dave MacKenzie and NDP MP Murray Rankin, have delivered letters to the clerk of the Justice Committee forcing an emergency meeting to vote on the following motion:

That, given the disturbing reports of political interference by the Prime Minister’s Office in the functions of the Attorney General of Canada, and given the Minister of Veterans Affairs recent comments that “It is a pillar of our democracy that our system of justice be free from even the perception of political interference and uphold the highest levels of public confidence”, the committee hold no fewer than four meetings to study what has occurred and invite as witnesses

  1. Minister of Veterans Affairs Jody Wilson-Raybould;
  2. Minister of Justice and Attorney General David Lametti;
  3. Clerk of the Privy Council Michael Wernick;
  4. Director of Public Prosecutions Kathleen Roussel;
  5. Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister Katie Telford;
  6. Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Gerald Butts;
  7. Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister Mathieu Bouchard;
  8. Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister Elder Marques
  9. Chief of Staff to the Minister of Veterans Affairs Jessica Prince;

and that the Committee report to the House no later than February 28, 2019.