Ottawa (AFP)
Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party refused Wednesday that the Ethics Commissioner testify in the House of Commons a week after the release of his report accusing the Canadian Prime Minister of violating the Conflict of Interest Act.
A parliamentary committee on information and ethics held Wednesday an emergency meeting at the request of the conservative opposition, which wanted to hear the Ethics Commissioner, an independent senior official reporting to Parliament.
In its damning report released last week, Mario Dion accused the Prime Minister and his entourage of improperly pressuring former Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould to intercede in favor of a Quebec society. SNC-Lavalin, in order to avoid a criminal trial for corruption.
Scandalized, the opposition led by Conservative leader Andrew Scheer had hoped that Mr. Dion could come to speak to MPs. On Wednesday, the commission on information and ethics, where the Liberals are in the majority, voted against such a statement.
The report had the effect of a bomb two months before the parliamentary elections. But an Ipsos-Reid poll released Wednesday shows that the two main parties are still neck and neck: the Liberals are credited with 33% of voting intentions, against 35% for conservatives.
Scheer, who will seek Trudeau's succession in the October general election, wrote to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) on Monday to suggest he investigate a possible "obstruction of justice" by the Prime Minister. Minister.
Mr. Trudeau said "take his mistakes", but refused to apologize, saying he had acted to "defend the jobs of Canadians".
SNC-Lavalin, which employs approximately 9,000 people in Canada, was charged in 2015 with paying C $ 47 million ($ 31 million) in bribes between 2001 and 2011 to obtain contracts in Libya the regime of Muammar Gaddafi.
At the end of May, a Canadian judge ruled that there were sufficient evidence to summon the company to appear.
© 2019 AFP