Former B.C. premier Christy Clark says that if Jody Wilson-Raybould felt she was being inappropriately pressured by the Prime Minister鈥檚 Office in the SNC-Lavalin case, it was her responsibility to report it and resign.
鈥淚f the minister had been inappropriately pressured, she had a duty under the law 鈥� which she would have been aware of -- to report that and resign,鈥� she told CTV鈥檚 Power Play on Friday. 鈥淪he didn鈥檛 do that.鈥�
Clark added that Wilson-Raybould 鈥渋s a very ethical person,鈥� and so 鈥渢he fact that she didn鈥檛 report it suggests to me that it probably didn鈥檛 happen.鈥�
Wilson-Raybould left her cabinet post earlier this week, shortly after the Globe and Mail reported the PMO allegedly pushed her to encourage a deal in the prosecution of corruption charges levied against Quebec engineering company SNC-Lavalin. Wilson-Raybould has yet to address the allegations head-on, citing solicitor client privilege.
She has retained a lawyer in order to determine what she is legally permitted to discuss.
Clark said that it鈥檚 important the federal ethics commissioner be permitted to carry out his probe because he is 鈥渁n independent person who can鈥檛 be foiled or thwarted,鈥� unlike the House of Common鈥檚 Liberal-dominated justice committee鈥檚 investigation, which is 鈥渁ll politics.鈥�
Clark said that if the PMO wanted a remediation deal instead of criminal prosecution in the SNC-Lavalin case, it was 鈥渢he right thing to do鈥� because of the number of jobs that could be lost if the company were to be found guilty.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 鈥渞an on jobs, middle-class jobs,鈥� she said.
Clark said that as a premier, when a minister won鈥檛 execute the government鈥檚 will, 鈥測ou either persuade them to do so or find a new minister.鈥� But she also said that pressuring a minister to obstruct a criminal investigation is 鈥渁 very clear, bright line that you can鈥檛 cross.鈥�
Government officials are likely to know where that line is, she added, because 鈥渢hese issues don鈥檛 come up infrequently when statutory decision makers need to make a decision.鈥�
