Liberal-dominated committee votes to limit investigation into allegations of improper political influence on Wilson-Raybould
(The Star Toronto Raptors)

OTTAWA— Liberal MPs have voted to restrict an investigation into allegations of improper political influence on former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould, blocking opposition efforts to have her and the prime minister’s top aides testify before a Commons committee.The vote came after a Liberal MP said the Conservatives were embarking on a “fishing expedition� and a “witch hunt� in their bid to hold hearings and summon witnesses — including senior PMO, justice department and Privy Council officials — to tell their stories under oath.The Liberals used their majority on the justice committee Wednesday to shut down a bid by Conservatives and New Democrats to summon Wilson-Raybould and Trudeau aides Gerald Butts and Mathieu Bouchard to testify.The Liberals also blocked a motion that called on the prime minister to lift solicitor-client privilege to allow Wilson-Raybould to speak freely about the allegations that have rocked the government. “That is not an investigation. That is simply going through the motions,� NDP MP Nathan Cullen said after the meeting, charging that the Liberals sought to “batten down the hatches today and not allow any truth to come to light.�The government has been rocked by a report in the Globe and Mail citing unnamed sources that Trudeau’s officials put pressure Wilson-Raybould to cut a deal with SNC-Lavalin instead of pursuing criminal charges that could prove financially crippling for the Quebec company. Read more:Opinion | Tanya Talaga: Is the SNC-Lavalin scandal’s biggest victim Trudeau’s relationship with Indigenous people?‘Revolving door’ of ministers in the veterans affairs department causing worryOpinion | Susan Delacourt: Time to break the silence that has defined the relationship between Trudeau and Wilson-RaybouldShe was shuffled out of the justice portfolio to veterans affairs in January. On Monday night, she told Trudeau she ...