Canada: Trudeau Admits Breaking Ethics Rule, Doesn't Apologize

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accepted Wednesday a watchdog’s report that he breached ethics rules by trying to influence a corporate legal case but refused to apologize, saying he had been trying to defend jobs.

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Independent ethics commissioner Mario Dion said Trudeau and his team attempted last year to undermine a decision by federal prosecutors that construction company SNC-Lavalin Group Inc should face a corruption trial.

“I fully accept this report ... I take full responsibility. The buck stops with the prime minister,” said Trudeau, adding that he nevertheless disagreed with some of Dion’s conclusions.

The scandal over SNC-Lavalin, which erupted in early February, showed the real face of Trudeau under his image of a youthful progressive at the helm of a government that had vowed to be open and transparent. He is the first Canadian prime minister found to have broken federal ethics rules.

The firm, a major employer in the politically important province of Quebec, wanted to take advantage of a 2018 law allowing it to escape with a fine rather than be prosecuted for bribing officials in Libya.

Trudeau has admitted he tried last year to persuade former Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould to reconsider the prosecutor’s decision to press ahead with a trial.

“What we did over the past year wasn’t good enough. But at the same time I can’t apologize for standing up for Canadian jobs,” he told a televized news conference in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.

Dion found Trudeau had contravened conflict of interest rules forbidding public office holders from trying to improperly further another person’s private interests.

“Because SNC‑Lavalin overwhelmingly stood to benefit from Ms. Wilson-Raybould’s intervention, I have no doubt that the result of Mr. Trudeau’s influence would have furthered SNC-Lavalin’s interests. The actions that sought to further these interests were improper,” he said.

Wilson-Raybould refused to overrule the prosecutor’s decision and was demoted in a cabinet reshuffle in January. She resigned the next month.

Later Wilson-Raybould told legislators she had been subjected to inappropriate pressure over SNC-Lavalin and was particularly critical of the role played by Gerald Butts, who has rejoined Trudeau’s team to focus on the election.

“The report confirms critical facts, consistent with what I shared with all Canadians, and affirms the position I have taken from the outset,” Wilson-Raybould said in a statement on Wednesday. “There were multiple attempts to improperly influence my decision.”

Trudeau sidestepped questions as to whether he would fire Butts and other senior aides. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said it was examining the matter carefully and would take appropriate action as required.

The report marks the second time Trudeau has fallen afoul of conflict of interest rules. In December 2017, former ethics commissioner Mary Dawson said Trudeau acted wrongly by accepting a vacation on the Aga Khan’s private island.

On that occasion, Trudeau apologized.