A tense conversation and repeated warnings of political interference: Inside Jody Wilson-Raybould`s call with the privy council clerk
(The Star Toronto Raptors)

OTTAWA—In a tense phone conversation with Privy Council Clerk Michael Wernick that Jody Wilson-Raybould secretly recorded, the former attorney general repeatedly warned him that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his officials were engaging in political interference with the SNC-Lavalin prosecution.The 17-minute call on Dec. 19 begins cordially, but ends with Wernick warning Wilson-Raybould he was concerned about how the prime minister would react to her refusal to intervene in the trial and negotiate a remediation agreement with the Quebec company.In the call, Wilson-Raybould issued what she called the “strongest warning” to Wernick about the actions of Trudeau and others.“It is entirely inappropriate and it is political interference,” she said.“Does he understand the gravity of what this potentially could mean?” Wilson-Raybould told the top civil servant. “This is not about saving jobs. This is about interfering with one of our fundamental institutions. This is like breaching a constitutional principle of prosecutorial independence,” she said, according to a transcript released Friday by the Commons Justice committee.It directly contradicts Trudeau’s and his top officials’ public assertions that Wilson-Raybould never advised him of any concerns until after she was moved out of her job as justice minister in January.Wilson-Raybould previously testified she was under pressure by Trudeau and senior officials to direct that SNC-Lavalin be given a deferred prosecution agreement under a brand new law, which would allow the Quebec firm to avoid a criminal conviction and with it, a 10-year ban on bidding for federal contracts.In new material released Friday, Wilson-Raybould contradicts Wernick’s public statement that the matter was not discussed at cabinet, reminding him she warned the entire cabinet when the change was being contemplated that any decision to use a deferred prosecution agreement wo ...