Articles by Joan Bryden, The Canadian Press

Mar 18 2019 — Joan Bryden, The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — The SNC-Lavalin affair claimed its fourth resignation Monday as Michael Wernick announced he will step down as the country's top public servant, having concluded he's lost the trust of opposition parties. Opposition parties have been calling for the clerk of the Privy Council's resignation since he first vehemently rejected allegations that he and others improperly pressured former […]

Mar 18 2019 — Joan Bryden, The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — The SNC-Lavalin affair claimed its fourth resignation Monday as Michael Wernick announced he will step down as the country's top public servant, having concluded he's lost the trust of opposition parties. Opposition parties have been calling for the clerk of the Privy Council's resignation since he first vehemently rejected allegations that he and others improperly pressured former […]

Mar 5 2019 — Joan Bryden, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dropped his insistence that his government has done nothing wrong in the SNC-Lavalin affair after a second cabinet minister in less than a month resigned Monday. Treasury Board president Jane Philpott handed in her resignation Monday afternoon, saying she's lost confidence in the way the government has dealt with criminal […]

Mar 1 2019 — Joan Bryden, The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's former principal secretary, Gerald Butts, wants to give his side of the story in the SNC-Lavalin affair. Butts wrote the House of Commons justice committee Thursday, requesting he be called as a witness. His request came one day after former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould testified that she faced relentless pressure — and even veiled threats […]

Mar 1 2019 — Joan Bryden, The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's former principal secretary, Gerald Butts, wants to give his side of the story in the SNC-Lavalin affair. Butts wrote the House of Commons justice committee Thursday, requesting he be called as a witness. His request came one day after former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould testified that she faced relentless pressure — and even veiled threats […]

Feb 26 2019 — Joan Bryden, The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — Jagmeet Singh tightened his shaky grip on the reins of the NDP Monday by winning a do-or-die federal byelection in British Columbia. But the challenge he now faces in reviving the party's flagging fortunes in time for this fall's national election was underscored by the NDP's simultaneous loss to the Liberals in Outremont — the Montreal riding that […]

Feb 26 2019 — Joan Bryden, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — Jagmeet Singh tightened his shaky grip on the reins of the NDP Monday by winning a do-or-die federal byelection in British Columbia. But the challenge he now faces in reviving the party's flagging fortunes in time for this fall's national election was underscored by the NDP's simultaneous loss to the Liberals in Outremont — the Montreal riding that […]

Feb 21 2019 — Joan Bryden, The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — Canada's top bureaucrat launched a vigorous defence Thursday of the government's handling of the criminal prosecution of SNC-Lavalin, bluntly declaring allegations of political interference to be false and even defamatory. Michael Wernick, clerk of the Privy Council, took opposition MPs to task for jumping on the anonymously-sourced allegations to accuse the government of obstructing justice. He […]

Feb 21 2019 — Joan Bryden, The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — Canada's top bureaucrat launched a vigorous defence Thursday of the government's handling of the criminal prosecution of SNC-Lavalin, bluntly declaring allegations of political interference to be false and even defamatory. Michael Wernick, clerk of the Privy Council, took opposition MPs to task for jumping on the anonymously-sourced allegations to accuse the government of obstructing justice. He […]

Feb 18 2019 — Joan Bryden, The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — Justin Trudeau's Liberal government was rocked Monday by the resignation of his principal secretary, Gerald Butts, amid allegations that the Prime Minister's Office interfered to prevent a criminal prosecution of SNC-Lavalin. The departure of the prime minister's most trusted aide comes just eight months before a federal election. Butts was expected to play as big a role in […]

Feb 18 2019 — Joan Bryden, The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — Justin Trudeau's Liberal government and his hopes for re-election were rocked Monday by the resignation of his principal secretary, Gerald Butts, amid allegations that the Prime Minister's Office interfered to prevent a criminal prosecution of SNC-Lavalin. In a statement, Butts unequivocally denied the accusation that he or anyone else in the office improperly pressured former attorney general […]

Feb 15 2019 — Joan Bryden, The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — Former justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould angered senators by refusing to give testimony on a change to the Criminal Code that is now at the centre of allegations that she was improperly pressured to help SNC-Lavalin avoid criminal prosecution. The Criminal Code amendment was stuffed into an omnibus budget implementation bill last year and […]

Feb 15 2019 — Joan Bryden, The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — Former justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould angered senators by refusing to give testimony on a change to the Criminal Code that is now at the centre of allegations that she was improperly pressured to help SNC-Lavalin avoid criminal prosecution. The Criminal Code amendment was stuffed into an omnibus budget implementation bill last year and […]

Feb 13 2019 — Joan Bryden, The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — Liberals faced accusations of a coverup Wednesday after they agreed to hold limited committee hearings into an allegation that former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould was improperly pressured to help SNC-Lavalin avoid criminal prosecution. Their short list of three proposed witnesses does not include Wilson-Raybould, who resigned from cabinet Tuesday. The five Liberal MPs on […]

Feb 13 2019 — Joan Bryden, The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — Liberals faced accusations of a coverup Wednesday after they agreed to hold limited committee hearings into an allegation that former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould was improperly pressured to help SNC-Lavalin avoid criminal prosecution. Their short list of three proposed witnesses does not include Wilson-Raybould, who resigned from cabinet Tuesday. The five Liberal MPs on […]