Materials submitted to the Commons Justice Committee this week indicate Jody Wilson-Raybould recorded at least one of the contentious conversations at the heart of the SNC-Lavalin affair, multiple sources tell CBC News.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said Wilson-Raybould’s exit from cabinet was a result of a “erosion of trust” between Wilson-Raybould and the Prime Minister’s Office. The existence of a recording suggests that trust may have broken down well before she left cabinet on Feb. 12.
The audio recording, or a transcript of it, is expected to be part of a new submission to the committee from Wilson-Raybould to be released later today. That submission also includes a written statement, emails and text messages.
Update and bumped: The recording is out.
And… reaction.
This @Puglaas recorded conversation with Wernick is explosive and clear that JWR clearly saw this as “political interference” and felt pressured. This is massive. How can the Justice Committee now not examine this? #cdnpoli
— Evan Solomon (@EvanLSolomon) March 29, 2019
The tape is devastating to the #PMO's argument that they were only trying to give "advice" to #Puglaas. She is, politely, repeatedly reading the riot act to Wernick on the tape, over and over again, and suggesting Trudeau is not being properly briefed by his staff on the law.
— Lorrie Goldstein (@sunlorrie) March 29, 2019
how cool a cucumber is @Puglaas ?…. knowing all this time she had that absolute death ray in her back pocket, but not using it … and just letting her critics make bigger and bigger fools of themselves with this garbage about abortion & the charter. wow https://t.co/uDEXZIKp2p
— Jonathan Kay (@jonkay) March 29, 2019
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. When Privy Council Clerk Michael Wernick [aka weasel wernick] testified before the committee for the second time, on March 6, he said he did not have “independent recollection” of what he said during a Dec. 19 conversation with Wilson-Raybould.
“I did not record the conversation. I did not wear a wire. I did not take notes and that is not my recollection of how the conversation flowed,” he testified.
Nice observation.
So are the corrupt Paramilitary RCMP investigating Justa Turd I mean look how they have been after Jason Kenney, for alleged campaign issues as soon as the Alberta election was called.
Yes its amazing how Comrade Notley can snap her fingers and get the Mounties to investigate the UCP, but the RCMP totally ignore Groper.
*
well, thank goodness someone had a little foresight.
is this the real reason wernick resigned – because
he knows he tripped over his d*ck?
*
“And The Walls Came Tumbling Down! ” Wow home run hit by Jody Wilson Raybould.
Now do the Liberals win the next election with her as leader or lose with Justin!
Because I’m a Western it’s time to get out of Dodge HA!
An aside – I just know that Trump has recorded some key conversations that are only going to come up if his back is to the wall. Otherwise they don’t exists.
“Put up or shut up”, taunted the Liberal hacks.
“Ok, I will”, replied JWR
I think we will soon find out why Butts and Wernick resigned and why Trudeau and his PMO hired lawyers. Odds are that Butts has been the source of recent leaks that tried to damage JWR before her new revelations.
She’s have to be crazy not to record this stuff. I hope there’s video. That would be a nice touch.
TP, yes. JWR would have had to be naive beyond belief to not record everything the PMO operatives said to her after it became apparent they wanted her to order a DPA.
The possibility of this is undoubtedly why the justice committee blocked any attempt to have the PMO’s people testify under oath. They lied and now they can get away without criminal charges. Devious bastards.
I’d have loved to see the sanctimonious pricks Butts or Wernick charged with perjury.
“I’d have loved to see the sanctimonious pricks Butts or Wernick charged with perjury.”
You and I and thousands of other people. A bonus would be the Liberal Party of Canada being sent into the wilderness for a decade or two.
Icing on the cake would be Soros being issued with an arrest warrant, but that won’t happen as too many people in authority all over being in his pocket.
Over at the National Post…
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/tories-seek-investigation-into-leak-of-trudeau-jwr-clash-over-top-court-choice
“Newly obtained documents show SNC-Lavalin warned federal prosecutors last fall about a possible plan to split the company in two, move its offices to the United States and eliminate its Canadian workforce if it didn’t get a deal to avoid criminal prosecution.”
“Under [plan B], SNC would move its Montreal headquarters and corporate offices in Ontario and Quebec to the U.S. within a year, cutting its workforce to just 3,500 from 8,717, before eventually winding up its Canadian operations.”
Yet, SNC also had a deal with Caisse that, as part of an investment (loan?) agreement, they wouldn’t move their head office for 10 years (globe and mail). SNC has not actually changed it’s way, it seems. It’s still a dirty company with a culture of corruption. Provincial governments should blacklist SNC like the World Bank already has done.
Meant to be posted here as reply to don morris
Liberal Chair, Horsefeathers, stated that Butts and Wernick didn’t need to be sworn in as they were expected to testify truthfully, and lying to a Parliamentary Committee was an offense. However, he didn’t say exactly how such a charge would be initiated and carried out. I cannot see this parliament charging Butts or Wernick with anything. As for being caught on tape, If Wernick didn’t know he was being taped, I expect he is clear of any possible perjury charge. Politically he may be exposed, but not legally.
These Parliamentary committees differ significantly from their US counterparts, particularly in this area.
According to comments today from various lawyers it appears that only one party to a conversation has to consent for it to be legal to record a conversation (ie. JWR consented to be recorded). You apparently need two parties to a conversation to agree only if you want to broadcast the recorded conversation (ie. we won’t hear it unless we’re in the court room). Wernick is in deep.
OK politically he is, maybe why he has already resigned. But legally wouldn’t the Liberal committee, than parliament have to agree to charge him? Cannot see that happening. Don’t know when the last time anyone was charged with lying to Parliament.
Well, now we know that Wernick is a liar.
SNC Lavalin is 20% possibly more owned by the Government of Quebec through the Caisse Populaire. The real pressure will be on Justa Turd from his corrupt Quebec Provincial Gubmint. When they croak he jumps. Look at the pipeline issue in Quebec. Quebec croaked Justa Turd jumped. The Dancing Frog. Instead of the dancing Bear, he is a Dancing Frog. Dance my little Frog, pull your queer Moslem socks and dance.
Over at BNN-Bloomberg…
https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/we-ve-never-said-that-snc-ceo-denies-head-office-jobs-threats-1.1232025
“SNC-Lavalin Group Inc.’s Chief Executive Officer and President Neil Bruce says he never spoke to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about potential job losses if a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) was not reached with his company.”
“I’ve never talked to the prime minister about a DPA or about jobs,” Bruce told BNN Bloomberg’s Amber Kanwar on Wednesday.
If you pay close attention to the SNC CEO “I’ve never talked to the prime minister”…that is probably “technically” true. But he didn’t say “SNC has never threatened to leave Canada” if the DPA wasn’t granted. That would be a follow-up question for sure.
Can’t wait for her submission later today! This is one of those times when it’s ridiculously obvious who is being honest (Raybould and Philpott) and who is not (Trudeau, Wernick, Butts, SNC Lavalin CEO) . This is also one of those times when the honest person outsmarted and outmaneuvered the snakes, who are typically not used to having the tables turned on them.
Hopefully this is not a nothing burger and it results in the lid getting blown off the Trudeau corruption cabal.
drip drip drip
what will it be next week , or the following week.
Will TurD’Oh have a powwow with some FN people. I suggest he not use Freddy Mercury back ground misic!!!
Maybe Justin could wear a Top hat and Tails, as the natives always seem to dress like it’s the 1850’s with all their feathers and such.
“The tape recorder just experienced the conversation differently.”
NO NO NO, not this time.
The tape recorder didn’t, experience the conversation differently. This time they won’t be able to use their lieberal “go to” line.
Hahaha
/rimshot
The media speculates the tape released today is of Wernick, and I believe that will turn out to be true.
BUT,,, I have to say, I am enjoying though and betting with myself, just how long it will take till the media wonders aloud, if there is an audio tape of Trudeau?
Can you image a tape of Trudeau screaming at Raybould, an MP that has a vagina, the Justice Minister, the Attorney General of Canada!
The Feminist Prime Minister, who has to have the same number of vaginas as penises, the Prime Minister, who would only naturally surround himself with like minded feminist individuals!
Several weeks ago I posed on this site the thought that JWR may have a tape or tapes. Now hopefully we’ll get to hear one.
I think this will be a great lesson on how to destroy a politician. But just as important, how to avoid destroying yourself (too bad for Turdeau he shows how to destroy youself).
Turdeau could have initially said “ We see new management at SNC and believe they are committed to cleaning up corruption, therefore we want to use the DPA to ensure past corruption is recognized and a substantial fine is paid. Now we wish to move forward without punishing the many men and women who were not involved.”
From Turdeau’s point of view this could have diffused the issue on day one. However, they tried to get cute and got sucked in. This is a classic case of the cover up is worse than the original issue.
JWR could have made more info available on day one or day two. Instead she held back and let Turdeau dig the hole deeper and deeper. She and Philpott are slowly destroying the Turdeau brand by letting Turdeau keep the entire sordid mess in front of the public with Turdeau’s own ineptitude. A masterful exhibition by JWR.
Except the decision to use a DPA is not within cabinet descretion.
The only way is if the PM appoints himself as AG and then (per the act) publishes the reasons in the Gazette.
Said decision must not be for economic or political reasons.
Said it once say it again, SNC will not be getting a DPA, nor will they get the contract to build the Transmountain expansion.
They lose.
End of story.
Joe, 2 points,,,
1. I don’t think we really know yet, whether there isn’t more to this story of SNC. I’m not sure yet whether “the cover up is worse than the original issue.” Was it miss handled, or desperate tactics to keep the lid on something more, something bigger? It’s not like the LPC are rookies at this.
2. Like obama, Trudeau is the face of the party, but unlike obama, obama knew how to keep the dirt off, while Justin just can’t help taking center stage, and being in the spotlight. He loves the attention, and has confidence beyond his abilities, thereby, getting himself dirtied and taken down, without even noticing. The extensive selfies, are symptomatic of his narcissism.
Carl, I totally agree that there is more to this story. Turdeau’s Liberals are trying to hide something.
Turdeau could have initially diffused this by replacing JWR, getting Lametti to issue the DPA, and staying that SNC is paying a big fine so they are not getting off scot free. He could have even said “I am so concerned with improving relationships with First Nations that I asked JWR to be the Minister in charge of indigenous affairs. Yes, I get that she doesn’t like the existing legislation, but who better to implement improvements?” With the left leaning media, I think this would have diffused the situation such that Turdeau would escape unscathed.
Carl you make a good point that Justin just can’t help taking centre stage. I think JWR realized that flaw in Trudeau and is playing the game to take advantage of Justin’s flaws.
Better to destroy one worthless sub-intelligent narcissistic quebec politician than to allow one of the best countries on the planet to be turned into a 3rd-world proctocracy. Sad to say, even if Turdoo gets flushed, it will have happened 3 1/2 years too late…
Liberal Chair, Horsefeathers, stated that Butts and Wernick didn’t need to be sworn in as they were expected to testify truthfully, and lying to a Parliamentary Committee was an offense. However, he didn’t say exactly how such a charge would be initiated and carried out. I cannot see this parliament charging Butts or Wernick with anything. As for being caught on tape, If Wernick didn’t know he was being taped, I expect he is clear of any possible perjury charge. Politically he may be exposed, but not legally.
These Parliamentary committees differ significantly from their US counterparts, particularly in this area.
We as Canadians should be posting and asking the media, why they are giving Butts testimony the same credibility as those who testified under oath!
Every time the media talks about Butts testimony, they should really being saying that “Butts alleged this” or “Butts alleged that”. But instead, they speak to Canadians as if what Butts has said as fact, or uncritically, the truth !
Very convenient that the info is being released to the media late on a Friday.
Usually bad news is released on or before a weekend to soften it’s impact.
This story has legs,,, that’s why it will be discussed all weekend and into next week, rather than what usually happens, when a story would get lost in the weekend, and be forgotten about.
Trudeau and company are finding out you don’t mess around with smart women. You’d have to be a bimbo to vote for the Shiny Pony, he’s sure getting muddied up at the worst possible time for his chances of reelection.
Unfortunately, far too many bimbos (and himbos) did, back in 2015. Maybe some sort of elementary screening for adult-level cognitive function should be done in future elections…
CBC News network, today at 2 pm Eastern, is reporting that the Liberal caucus, at their regularly-scheduled meeting next Wednesday, will hold a vote to expel Wilson-Raybould and Philpott. The drift of the CBC talking heads was that such a vote would be in favour of turfing the two. So it seems like the two dissidents are on their way out.
Heard that too, but I’m wondering if in this tape Wernick comes off sounding really bad and harsh to Raybould,,, it might make kicking them out even tougher.
Another thing is that the notorious Anthony Housefather, the chair of the House Justice Committee, may not release a full version of the audiotape, or the actual tape itself. Recall that a release of the JWR is at the discretion of the Liberal sycophants on the committee. Especially this late in the game the Liberal robots would likely be careful.
Also: the CBC’s Andrew Nichols and Hanna Thibedeau, in their discussion of all of this, mentioned that JWR may have made an “ethical breach” in secretly taping Michael Wernick, in the sense that she is a member of the bar (non-lawyers in Ontario are free to secretly tape each other). Look for this to rear its ugly head going forward.
I’m not sure of the accuracy of this, but several comments at the National Post suggested that since Wernick wasn’t a client of JWR, she us off the hook on this matter. Perhaps someone here can clarify this.
Why?
Was it something she said and recorded? 🙂
Sure, kick her out for stating the truth, and having audio to support her truth.
That”ll go over well in the coming election.
Liberals kick women out of caucus for telling the truth.
After some reading on the info I have considered that the DPA legislation is subject to the restrictions dictated by the Act that created the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Specifically that the decision to use a DPA is to be of the discretion of the DPP and that in the interest of the public good the AG can override a decision to use it, not override the DPP to use a DPA.
One more wrinkle the “cool kids” didn’t consider when they had the great idea to give SNC the contract for the Trans Mountain expansion.
Yes that ! But also, the media never talks about the wording, and how it couldn’t/wouldn’t be applicable to use, even so.
Once again the timeline tells all.
“Hello, Hillary? Can we speed up that order of Bananas “Foster”? At least one of the two? For Jody?” – Frazzled PM Be-Dazzled.
Is Raybould pissed because she wanted the “first the get here people” to build and own TransMountian rather than SNC-Lav to build and own TransMountian?
Understanding that all politicians act exclusively in their own self interest, what does she gain by all of this? Our next Prime Minister? Permanent talking-headxpertguest on some National panel?
Trudeau is clearly circling the drain but I just don’t quite get the JWR end-game.
Hence my ‘name’.
A seat on the SCOC as chief justice.
“Chief Justice”, hmmm.
Her new moniker?
Just listened to the JWR – Wernick tape. Wonder how Justin will try to uh uh uh his way out of this.
Maybe he’ll say “lying to Canadians is not a crime, I did it all through last election campaign.” Ha ha ha. Maybe Sheila Copps will say that in Turdeau’s defence.
I wonder who Katie Telford is phoning to try and get a favourable editorial?
Time to get some more popcorn. 🙂
Mr Wernick has acted the classic lackey snivel serpent, and took the ‘political job’.
If he had had any sense he would have fobbed off the obstruction of justice file back to the politicians responsible ie PMJT.
Beer and popcorn is going to required, lots of it!
Cheers
Hans Rupprecht, Commander in Chief
1st Saint Nicolaas Army
Army Group “True North”
Say, Hans:
How many other audio-tapes exist, and who else has heard them already?
I think JWR said she made only one tape. But David you raise an interesting question. Perhaps some of the SNC canaries singing to the public prosecutors progressing the SNC trial have interesting tapes/videos? One can only hope.
Enjoy…Mr Wernick has completely ignored the first rule of holes: 1. When you’re in a hole, stop digging.
https://ourcommons.azureedge.net/data/ConversationJWRandWernick-e.m4a
Cheers
Hans Rupprecht, Commander in Chief
1st Saint Nicolaas Army
Army Group “True North”
Perhaps Justin and Gerry will get stoned tonight.
Unless Wernick has been part of the corruption all along or just more loyal to the Liberal Party then he is to the country that he is the top civil servant for he should have told whoever told him to twist Jody’s arm to shove it.
I know our rural administrator would never allow anyone on council or the reeve for that matter even get close to breaking any laws. The administrator’s first loyalty was to the people of the municipality and to honest governance, not to council members. On at least one occasion she had to exercise her authority and alert the reeve to an indiscretion by a councilor which resulted in the councilor’s resignation.
Let us hope that this results in Trudeau’s resignation.
Marc Garneau, call off the space walk, your next mission will be to fix 24 Sussex Drive.
It seems Trump is more interested in helping Alberta than Groper. While little Justin spends a lot of time helping out his Lavalin buddies, Fox News reports that Trump signed an executive order today to get Trans Canada’s Keystone pipeline moving.
You are right OJ. Trump did sign a new EO bypassing the court and the Indians. https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/436509-trump-signs-permit-to-jumpstart-delayed-construction-of-keystone-xl
Good for Trump. At least someone is looking after Canadian interests.
I watched CBC News’s coverage of the release of the JWR tape. And clearly Andrew Nichols, Hannah Thibedeau, and Rosemary Barton were lapdoging it for Justin’s Liberals throughout the extended analysis. Essentially they said that JWR’s release of documents (and the tape) “added nothing new” to the debate. My hearing of the tape was that the evil Wernick did intend pressure JWR. This is especially true during the second half of the conversation. The conversation became testy, and JWR was becoming more and more angry. I imagine the public will see it this way, and not follow the lead of the CBC propagandists.
And another point: note that the Justice Committee release was done late on a Friday afternoon, traditionally done to minimize the damage.
As did the CTV male mouthpiece that interviewed Lisa Raitt after the airing of the tape. This male host suggested Jody may have broken the law and Wernick was the victim. I suppose by extension that meant Trudeau was also the victim of Jody’s machinations.
Justa Turd will resign soon and they will trot out the old Ukrainian Nazi Freeland for the election. I said weeks ago that Freeland the Nazi would be Canada’s next PM. She will take over and assume control for the election, this way Justa Turd will not have lost the election and the Canadian sheep will have been put back to sleep and be assured all those nasty things and cruel things said about the Turd were not true. My new T shirt Flush The TURD.
Doubt Freeland could pull it off. She displayed her ineptitude and indifference to economic well-being during the NAFTA re-negotiation, and she has none of the charisma Trudle’s has a result of being a Trudeau.
If Trudles is gone, and with the top echelon and all the other LPers demonstrating how crooked the party is, they are up a creek, and they know it.
scc, I also doubt Freeland could win. With her permanent smug look that screams,” I know best”, I doubt she would take more than 50 seats.
If the Messiah should step down,it’s gotta be Garneau. He’s famous and has no baggage, a safe vote for the 30% that perpetually vote Liberal.
I don’t think it will be the uke sausage. She has no traction with voters outside of the old bob rae riding she represents. The voters there don’t burden themselves with facts.
If bongo goes down those closely associated with him lose all cred – they become pariahs. In all likelihood her career as a front liner is over. She did a lot of damage.
There’s a big question here. Why was the Clerk of the Privy Council acting as the PM’s errand boy to a cabinet minister? Wernick was clearly doing the job of Gerald Butts or Katie Telford.
Exactly. As Canada’s top civil servant he should have avoided any connection with this like the plague. Unless he is actually a part of the Liberal Party high command.
From one the links:
The conversation ended with Wilson-Raybould saying that she was “waiting for the other shoe to drop,” and that “I am not under any illusion how the prime minister has and gets things that he wants. I am just stuck doing the best job that I can.”
That statement just opened up a huge Pandora’s box. What other things is she aware of that JT has done with no regard for legality?
The libranos have set the table for the ouster of JWR. Taping a conversation is a breach of confidence. Grounds for dismissal. They have already set the table by leaking to the media that caucus would vote next week to decide on whether JWR stays or goes. This breach pretty much ensures her departure.
The question has now been positively answered. They libranos did in fact pressure her over SNC. So who takes the high jump? Does bongo say, “Look she’s gone,” and hope that satisfies voters, or does it go further up the food chain?
Given their precipitous fall in the polls and bongo’s inadequate (horrible) handling of the scandal it’s conceivable that he hizself might take the plunge – with a size 7 stiletto footprint squarely in the center of his back.
https://youtu.be/B7UmUX68KtE
…reading here about the Liberals in all the above posts:
Joe wants popcorn and Hans wants beer and popcorn. When I got to the part when Watcher said that the Ukerainian kielbasa (as abtrapper dude likes to say) will maybe get trotted out as PM after HRH the Prinz (as BADR dude likes to say) will resign, well, well, I simply had to post this, without further delay.
It’s Party Time!
Yer on…The Muppets were really running the PMO…
At least the swedish chef can keep a beat and dance!
Bring on the shrimp popcorn and BEER!
Cheers
Hans Rupprecht, Commander in Chief
1st Saint Nicolaas Army
Army Group “True North”
That is so well staged, that is with the chef – I like how everything got shut down when the phone rang – yes the PMO has probably been like the Muppets Show and the Gong Show, combined, especially as of late.
Hans- you are always so cheerful!
Cheers to you too!
That helps, saying that like that. Ha!
And so the brat decides to stand tall and show the nearest sycophants that he can play hardball with the big boys …
” I just saw him a few hours ago and this is really important to him.” Wernick ON TAPE
That statement is the smoking GUN….Wernick was acting as Turdo’s Agent… Resign NOW, or you will have a constitution Crisis that damages Canada beyond repair…..
We now know that Justin is a chauvinist in feminist clothing and speaks with a forked tongue
McTurd is a juvenile twit, of about 18 years old, and shows it well. He is so far in over his head, and still is unaware that he is
He is in over his head.
The real ‘him’ is the one elbowing women, sarcastically putting down people who pose legitimate questions and yelling at people who refuse to do his bidding. A bully and not a very nice person.
The sisters have his number……
https://youtu.be/rxO8QZAdkCY
This is abt: “…sarcastically putting down people…yelling at people…a bully and not a very nice prson”
Yes, no kidding, check this out and see him blow his stack at the 2:34 mark, ” Come on, come on”…blah, blah….referring to himself in the third person as THE PRIME MINISTER.
“The sisters have his number,” all right!
Tha SNC-Lavalamp kerfuffle’s supreme irony is that the Liberals are still dead-set against the very idea of a “two-tier” healthcare system in Canada, but don’t seem to have any problem at all with a two-tier justice system. And that is what this is all about: not the mythical 9000 jobs or any of the other smoke streams emitted by the PMO. Frankly, bringing Sheila Copps back from her well deserved obscurity to lead the character assassination of Ms. Wilson-Raybold, so as to provide cover for the faux-feminist in the PMO, is a new low in domestic politics. As for Wireless Wernick, listening to the tape this afternoon, I got the distinct impression that there was someone else in the office with him when he made the call. She told him no in no uncertain terms over and over again, and each time, he’d say, “ alright, then, “ and I’d think he was ending the call, but then he’d come right back with the same pitch again, almost as if someone was pushing him to keep after her. Also, he seemed like he knew darn well that he was over the line.
The reactionary commenters to Solomon are closing their eyes to see nothing, covering ears to hear nothing and go lalalalalala can’t see nothing you, can’t hear you.
I understand it is childish to write such silliness though it is what it is. What else can you say?
We should all be emailing the PMO, Juthtin, and the Lib Party, encouraging the PM to stay, to show courage, and fortitude, steadfastness, backbone, leadership, blather, blather, blather.
We want him to stay, thru October, for his demise.
Just saying………
It wouldn’t take much stroking to assure he’ll stay.
Even better, add that he should continue to show leadership to the caucus and maintain like he has so far, that Raybould and Philpotts stay in caucus, just to show Canadians that he’s a bigger man than all this misunderstanding, and that he still supports women.
Rush would call something like that, “Operation Chaos”
In a sense, the tapes were factually what she had already testified. But it has always played out as a he-said, she-said…..now she has offered definitive proof of her side of the story.