Public Prosecution Service sends provocative tweet about 'political influence'

The Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC) the independent bodythat prosecutes federal offencesand has played a role in the SNC-Lavalin affair sent a tweet this morning saying its lawyers must be free to do their jobs without"political influence."

The tweet comes one day after the prime minister's former principal secretary, Gerry Butts,and Michael Wernick, the most senior bureaucrat in the country, testified before the Commons justice committee that they did not inappropriately pressure former attorney-general Jody Wilson-Raybouldto negotiate a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the Quebec engineering firm after the PPSC refused to do just that.

Wilson-Raybould testified that she felt political motivations namely, the Liberal Party'selectoral fortunes in Quebec were behind the push to secure a DPA for the large Quebec corporation.

A spokesperson for the PPSC said today the tweet was not related tothe SNC-Lavalin affair.

KathleenRoussel, the director of public prosecutionsand the head of thePPSC, decided not to pursue a DPA forSNC-Lavalinand to proceed to a criminal trial on fraud and bribery charges. The Prime Minister's Office was concerned by this course of action, fearing a guilty verdict for the firm could lead to financial ruin and massivejob losses.Wilson-Raybouldhas said she should have been free to make a final decision without interference.

The tweet was sent shortly after Prime Minister Justin Trudeauhimself expressed regret over how the whole affair has unfolded.

While the Twitter account for the prosecution service was first created in January 2019, it only posted itsfirst message on the social media platform yesterday.

"The PPSC twitter account launched this week; a number of pre-written tweets explaining a little about the PPSC and its work are scheduled over the coming weeks,"NathalieHoule, a spokesperson for the PPSC, said in an emailed statement to CBC News.

The spokesperson said the tweet is not related to the SNC-Lavalin controversyand there is no pressing concern about the independence of prosecution in Canada.

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheersaid today that,while he agrees with the sentiment expressed in the PPSC's tweet, it's"very troubling" that federal prosecutors felt the need to issue a statement like that amid the SNC-Lavalinuproar.

The office was created by the former Conservative government in 2006 to separate federal prosecutors from the other public servants who carry out legal and legislative workat the Department of Justice, and to further distance its functions from politicians in the wake of the sponsorship scandal.

The service was designed to "strengthen ... institutional independence and ultimate ministerial accountability,"thePPSCwebsitereads.

"On one hand, it was intended to enhance integrity in government by statutorily ensuring independence of the prosecution decision-making function from inappropriate political control, direction and influence. It enshrines in legislation the quasi-constitutional principle of independence of the prosecution function from the partisan political process."

While the service is independent, the attorney generalis still responsible for its actions and has the power to intervene in legal proceedings and"assume conduct of a prosecution." To guard against interference and prevent abuse, these interventionsmust be made public.

For example, if Wilson-Raybouldhad pursued a DPA with SNC-Lavalinover the initial objections of the PPSC,she would have had to draft a document stating that for publication in the Canada Gazette,the official newspaper of the government of Canadawherenew acts, regulations and proclamations are published.