Liberals risk 'brand damage' over Wilson-Raybould controversy, says former Martin government official

In the week since the SNC-Lavalin story broke, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has changed his talking points several times.

After the story first hit,Trudeau insistedthat the allegation in the Globe and Mail story that Jody Wilson-Raybould had been pressured by the Prime Minister's Office while serving as minister of justice tohelp the Quebec-based engineering firmSNC-Lavalinavoid criminal prosecution in a bribery case was false.

He saidWilson-Raybould'scontinued presence in cabinet, as minister for Veterans Affairs,spoke for itself.

Then she quit and the message changed. Wilson-Raybould, Trudeau said, had never raised with him the suggestion that the PMO was pressuring her to go easy on SNC-Lavalin, and he made it clear to her that any decisions on the file were hers alone to make.

The shifting nature of Trudeau'sexplanations suggests a recognition that the government's messaging has gotten out of handand a correction was neededtocontain some of the blowback, said one member of former prime minister Paul Martin's inner circle.

Scott Reid, who served as the director of communications toMartin during the sponsorship scandal that led to a public inquiry, said that if enough voters conclude that Wilson-Raybouldwas thrown under the bus, it could leave a stain on the Liberals that would be hard to shedin an election year.

"Ifa conclusion was reached that suggests that the only way to defend the actions and the integrity of thegovernment is to put the boots to a former cabinet minister who is a woman, who is Indigenous, who is from British Columbia, who's very sympathetic then I think that would have brand damage," he told host Chris Hall on CBC Radio's The House.

"And I think that's why you've seen the government shift its tone over the course of the week, because I think it knew it was headed for trouble on that front."

Wilson-Raybouldhas yet to speak publicly on the matter.Reid said the story is so murky at this pointthat it might be worth calling in a former Supreme Court justice to do a month-longinvestigation and releaseits conclusion publicly.

TheGlobe and Mail reportedlast weekthat officials in Trudeau's office pressured Wilson-Raybouldto tell the director of public prosecutions to draft a'deferred prosecution agreement'that would allow SNC-Lavalinto avoid trial on bribery and fraud chargesin relation to contracts in Libya.

Treasury Board President Jane Philpotttook to Twitter after news of the resignation emerged to express her support for Wilson-Raybould.

Liberal government insiders have said in the past that Wilson-Raybouldwas difficult to work with. Procurement MinisterCarla Qualtrough toldThe Houseshe didn't share that point of view, but also said she believed the prime minister's explanation of the SNC-Lavalin affair.

SNC-Lavalin affair timeline key to claims of PMO pressure on Jody Wilson-Raybould

6 years ago

Duration 3:26

In the SNC-Lavalin affair, one of the key questions remaining is who exactly said what to then-Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould, and did it amount to pressure to treat the company lightly.

Qualtrough said she's never felt any pressure from the PMO in her portfolio a file which touches on the administration side of corporate wrongdoingadding that if she felt any of her fellow ministers were being pushed one way or another, she'd report it to Trudeau herself.

Trudeau said Friday that Wilson-Raybouldat one point asked him if he was going to encourage her to make a particular decision on the SNC-Lavalin file.

"There were many discussions going on, which is why Jody Wilson-Raybould asked me if I was directing her or going to direct her to take a particular decision," Trudeau said."And I of course said no, that it was her decision to make and I expected her to make it."

Qualtrough said she wouldn't speculate on why Wilson-Raybould and Trudeau spoke about the matter or what was discussed, but said it's not unusual to have talks about a massive company like SNC-Lavalin, ora new legal tool like the deferred prosecution agreements.

A comms strategy

Reid said that if he were advisingTrudeaunow, he'd tell him to stanch the bleeding by answering media questions as clearly as possible and to find a way to wrap the controversy up quickly.

He admitted, however, that it's not as easy as it sounds.

"If you work in the Prime Minister's Office,you'd prefer it to not have to peel the onion completely," Reid said."Sausage-making is ugly."

How is the SNC-Lavalin affair impacting the Liberal Party brand ahead of the election? | At Issue

6 years ago

Duration 11:46

The SNC-Lavalin affair has sparked two government-related probes and led to the resignation of a cabinet minister. Whats been the impact on the Liberal Party brand? Our At Issue panel is here to discuss.

On Wednesday, an emergency meeting of the House of Commons justice committee was called to discuss a proposal from the Conservatives and New Democrats to hear from nine witnesses including PMO officials andJody Wilson-Raybould herself.

At the beginning of the meeting, the Liberals tabled their own motion that severely limited the witness list, leaving only three names. Attempts to amend the motion failed.

Reid admitted it doesn't look good when a government shuts down lines of inquiry, but he argued that, due to solicitor-client privilege and cabinet confidence issues, it's almost impossible to have those conversations in committee without the dialogue descending into a "political gong show."