In her first media remarks since her testimony to the justice committee last week, Jody Wilson-Raybould told her local newspaper that she feels “overwhelmed and grateful” for the response from thousands of Canadians over the past week, and that she fully intends to run again for the Liberals in the fall. Mind you, people keep asking Trudeau if he’ll let her stay in caucus, and he says he’s still thinking about it, but Wilson-Raybould did secure her nomination last year. Granted, things have changed in the time since, and her riding association may feel differently about her now than they did then, which is certainly one danger from holding nominations too soon. This said, it’s a bit of a dilemma for Trudeau, who likely feels pressure from MPs who feel betrayed by her – though, as John Geddes discusses in this examination of the situation, it has been remarkably free of acrimony compared to previous examples of exits. Trudeau likely also feels the need to appear magnanimous and that there is room for dissent in the Liberal party. Of course, there was already one columnist who said over the weekend that if Trudeau lets her stay in, he appears weak – because why bother having a whip that enforces caucus discipline when you have the media to do it for you? Cripes.
“If he keeps her in, he looks weak.”
Because every journalist in Ottawa would scream “PM LOSING GRIP ON HIS CAUCUS!” at every turn. We’re so bad at this. #SundayScrum pic.twitter.com/7x5ZgBi9mq— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) March 3, 2019
Meanwhile, David Lametti says there may be contexts where it may be appropriate for a government to interfere in a criminal prosecution, but because it’s a TV interview, he didn’t explore that further, and that will likely be spun completely. It’s also being noted in Halifax that Lametti ordered a new trial for a Halifax man who was found to be falsely convicted for a murder he didn’t commit, but that Wilson-Raybould sat on the recommendation for a new trial for a year-and-a-half, whereas Lametti ordered the retrial within a month-and-a-half (and that re-trial lasted five minutes because the Crown had no evidence to offer).
Good reads:
- The government will start rolling out advertising this week related to their climate rebates in provinces affected by the federal carbon tax backstop.
- The Mexican government plans to unveil labour reforms necessary as part of the New NAFTA, but won’t ratify the deal until steel and aluminium tariffs are lifted.
- Meng Wanzhou is planning to sue CBSA and the RCMP over her arrest, saying her rights were breached.
- Canada’s long-time relationship with Cuba is showing some strain with Canada leading the Lima Group regarding Venezuela.
- The government has refused to help VADM Mark Norman with his legal bills – only the third person in two years they’ve refused.
- It appears that Facebook pressured the Harper government to go easy on regulating them for the promise of building a data centre in Canada, which they never did.
- Liberal MP Celina Caesar-Chavannes has decided not to run again this fall.
- Brian Pallister is accusing the federal government of attacking the province for not taking federal dollars being offered for housing and infrastructure.
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