There are political games afoot in Ottawa, and it’s a dangerous game for the ruling Liberals to be playing in an election year, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is finding out with the resignation of his former justice minister and Veterans Affairs minister, Jody Wilson-Raybould.
The resignation came in the wake of a full-blown political scandal as there is controversy over whether the Trudeau government used their influence to help the huge construction company, SNC-Lavalin, avoid prosecution.
Just the day before, Trudeau told an audience that the fact Wilson-Raybould was still in cabinet was proof that things were going well and there was nothing wrong to be concerned about.
When the former justice minister resigned, the PM then dumped on her by saying in effect that if there was something they did wrong, she was supposed to say something about it, and she never said anything. In other words, if there is something wrong in this issue, he’s saying it’s her fault, even though she is just one minister in cabinet, and had been demoted earlier this year to Veterans Affairs.
Before she resigned, it was clear that Wilson-Raybould was very uncertain about what she could or could not say from her former position as Attorney-General and Justice Minister. When she resigned, Trudeau stepped up and has been saying all sorts of things about the issue while she is being careful in what she says.
This is a very different scenario than when Trudeau trumpeted about his “sunny ways” and introduced Wilson-Raybould as the first indigenous Justice Minister in Canada.
Those sunny ways are clouding over, which for the Official Opposition, the Conservatives, must seem like an early Christmas present as this is an election year.
This scandal is going to bruise the Liberals and Trudeau’s claim of always doing things in the right way as a government, and piled on other controversies, could make for a very messy loss for them come voting day.
Take the pro-resources rally, coming up this Saturday, Feb. 16, in Moosomin, where Conservative leader Andrew Scheer will be speaking, along with Premier Scott Moe, New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs and Senator Denise Batters, among others. Do you think for one moment they aren’t going to bring up this scandal?
Added to this is the court challenge being heard right now in Regina over the federal carbon tax, and it is clear that the “sunny ways” are being overtaken by dark, stormy clouds gathering on the horizon, getting ready to bring a storm.
