Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Jody Wilson-Raybould would still be the justice minister in his cabinet if it wasn’t for the resignation of former Treasury Board president Scott Brison.
Trudeau, who made the remarks in Ottawa this morning, says Brison’s sudden decision to leave politics resulted in having to “move things around” on the team, including shuffling Wilson-Raybould into the veterans affairs portfolio.
Wilson-Raybould suddenly quit the cabinet this week, but Trudeau isn’t saying what reasons she gave for her resignation.
He only says he accepts her decision, even if he doesn’t totally understand it.
READ MORE: Trudeau surprised, puzzled by Wilson-Raybould’s resignation
Last week, the Globe and Mail reported that Wilson-Raybould felt pressured to instruct the director of public prosecutions to negotiate a remediation agreement with Quebec engineering giant SNC-Lavalin rather than pursue a criminal trial on charges of bribery and fraud linked to the company’s efforts to secure business in Libya.
Trudeau says he told Wilson-Raybould any decision on the file was hers alone after she asked him during a fall conversation if he was going to direct her on what to do.
The Canadian Press
