Face of Nation : Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was found to have violated a section of the Conflict of Interest Act with his conduct in the SNC-Lavalin scandal, marking the second time Trudeau has been found to have violated the ethics code since coming into office in 2015.
Ethics commissioner Mario Dion released a damning report Wednesday that found Trudeau improperly pressured former justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould to reach a deferred prosecution agreement with Quebec engineering giant SNC-Lavalin to help the company avoid criminal prosecution on fraud and bribery charges.
“As Prime Minister, Mr. Trudeau was the only public office holder who, by virtue of his position, could clearly exert influence over Ms. Wilson‑Raybould,” the report says. “The authority of the Prime Minister and his office was used to circumvent, undermine and ultimately attempt to discredit the decision of the Director of Public Prosecutions as well as the authority of Ms. Wilson‑Raybould as the Crown’s chief law officer.”
It concludes Trudeau violated section 9 of the Conflict of Interest Act, which says public office holders are prohibited from using their position to seek to influence a decision to improperly further the private interests of a third party.
“Because SNC‑Lavalin overwhelmingly stood to benefit from Ms. Wilson-Raybould’s intervention, I have no doubt that the result of Mr. Trudeau’s influence would have furthered SNC-Lavalin’s interests. The actions that sought to further these interests were improper since the actions were contrary to the constitutional principles of prosecutorial independence and the rule of law,” the report says.
