Saturday, March 23, 2019

Is This The Real Reason JWR and Philpott Are Attacking Trudeau?



I  suppose that it was this photo of Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott holding court at the Chateau Laurier, that finally tipped off the media.

Made some of them realize that the two women were carefully orchestrating events to keep the fake scandal in the news.

And that, as Susan Delacourt says, it's a well organized campaign.


A campaign that as Chantale Hébert writes, seems to be aimed at doing as much damage as possible to their own government.

With Philpott's interview in Maclean's clearly designed to blunt the impact of the Liberal budget.

The main predictable consequence of the interview was to shore up the opposition parties’ contention that the Liberals are engaged in a coverup. Its timing was guaranteed to turn heads away from what was otherwise a relatively well-received pre-election budget.

And the main objective of this campaign clearly aimed at taking down Justin Trudeau.



With every passing episode in this saga, it is becoming more obvious that the Liberal party Philpott and Wilson-Raybould insist they want to continue to serve is one that is not led by Trudeau.

While Heather Mallick wonders why Philpott keeps knifing her fellow Liberals when the results could be so catastrophic.

Perhaps Wilson-Raybould and Philpott were tutored. Either way, I cannot fathom their motive for doing everything in their power to elect a Conservative government headed by the embarrassment that is Andrew Scheer.

And is not impressed by the arrogant way Philpott puts down her colleagues.



It bothers me that Philpott was unkind enough to say of them, “there are people who are afraid that they’re not going to get elected because of what I did.” She doesn’t mention the possibility that they fear the return of the Conservatives with their sexism, Yellow Vest pals, racism against Indigenous people and at the border, apathy about climate change, and laxity about gun control including assault weapons.

Which makes Philpott sound like a Mother Superior rather than a politician. And her claim that Wilson-Raybould lost her job as Justice Minister solely because of her opposition to granting SNC-Lavalin a DPA, doesn't make sense.

Not when it has been revealed that JWR didn't create a fuss over that until she was shifted out of the justice department. And not when others have suggested that there is another so far hidden motive. 

And that is Wilson-Raybould's burning desire to radically change the existing agreements governing the relationship between Canada and its indigenous people.

And her bitter disappointment with the Trudeau cabinet's decision to back down from a plan to expand the reach of Section 35 of the Constitution.

Which as the retired judge Brian Giesbrecht writes, led to a situation where rather than Trudeau pressuring Wilson-Raybould, she might have been the one pressuring the Prime Minister. 



At his first Justice Committee appearance, (Michael) Wernick testified that a meeting between Trudeau and Wilson-Raybould only one day before the University of Saskatchewan speech, which she had claimed was focused on SNC-Lavalin, was, in fact, called mainly to discuss her “very serious policy differences” with Bennett and other ministers over the Section 35 plan. At this meeting, Trudeau announced the bill would have to wait until after the next election. Instead, the federal government would proceed with Indigenous languages legislation.

The stage was set for a showdown between Wilson-Raybould and a prime minister who perhaps realized – belatedly – that his prized minister’s demands would exact far too high a price on the country. Her insistence on a “nation-to-nation” deal with Ottawa, including imposing obligations to fund 600-plus Indigenous nations in perpetuity and give them de facto command of the country’s economy, became too much even for him.

But Wilson-Raybould didn’t take no for an answer. Her last act as Justice Minister after she was informed of her demotion, as reported in the Ottawa Citizen on March 5, was to affirm her Practise Directives advising all Crown lawyers to cease adversarial arguments in all litigation involving Indigenous claims.

Viewed in this light, the extraordinary events of the last few weeks appear to have as much or more to do with Wilson-Raybould pressuring Trudeau’s office as with his office pressuring her. Far from being the heroic defender of the rule of law in the SNC-Lavalin prosecution, she took steps to weaken the Crown’s ability to defend Canada’s interests in Indigenous rights cases and fought for implementation of the AFN’s “nation-to-nation” plan. 


Her evident determination to put the AFN’s agenda ahead of the government’s would certainly explain why Trudeau, senior bureaucrats and a good part of the Cabinet were so upset with her.

It's an intriguing story, and to me it explains why Wilson-Raybould and Philpott are so determined to get rid of Trudeau, and are using the SNC-Lavalin affair as an excuse.

When the real reason they hate him so much is for backing down on his plan to expand the reach of Section 35.  

And of course for removing both of them from ministries where they could influence that debate.

The caveat is that Brian Giesbrecht is a right winger who has been accused of being opposed to the expansion of native rights, so we need other sources to back up that account.

But whatever the motive, nothing can justify JWR and Philpott's campaign to sabotage their own party and its leader.



Not with an election only seven months away, and so much at stake, from women's rights to the future of our medicare system, and the end of the war on climate change.

So unless the two women can promise to end their campaign, they should be asked to resign or booted out of the party.

As I've said before, I think their political inexperience is largely to blame. But this is not a game.

And enough is enough...

20 comments:

Jackie Blue said...

Wow. Pappy Wilson's revenge against Pierre's son makes so much sense in this light. One only wonders what kind of fantasies he filled his little Canadian Ivanka with all this time. How convenient that Pierre has been dead some 20 years and can't stand up for his boy.

SNC was a red herring, and the Con media took the bait because it played to their preexisting Québec-bashing instincts and Trudeau Derangement Syndrome. Other commentators I've seen on social media have said as much: this was never about SNC, it was a scorched-earth plot to scrap the Reconciliation file in favor of a complete top-down overhaul, everyone and everything else be damned. Now the pieces start falling into place. These two want to overthrow the government -- and take "credit" as the headhunters who brought down le dauphin Trudeau. Like I said, they're Brutus and Cassius and he is the Caesar Borealis. The scheduling a bit off, it wasn't exactly the ides of March, but otherwise it fits. When in Rome, do as the Canadians do.

Justin's book (and you know there's going to be a book) is going to be interesting. He should see about enlisting Mallick, Delacourt and/or Hébert as a colleague, as Jonathan Kay (who edited Common Ground) has gone full alt-right asshole. And who knows, if the damage can't be repaired in time for October and Andy ends up with a minority clusterfuck (I hope that's all he'd have a chance at), maybe he'll get Joe Clarked before he can do too much damage (except he's no Joe Clark, Joe Clark is an honorable man). If Justin stays in politics and plots his revenge from the sidelines maybe he'll have a repeat of 1980 rather than 1972 or 1974. Or he'll quit but stay on in the background (maybe keep his seat in Papineau) and help Freeland campaign for the leadership. That idiotic filibuster only proves how incompetent Andy is. He only knows how to oppose the way Trump knows how to oppose. Someone else I was talking to back and forth described him as a "larval Mitch McConnell." He's Just Not Ready™. He doesn't even have nice hair.

One way or another, though, these mean-girl $%&# can't be allowed to get away with this. Even if it's only in the court of public opinion. Justin doesn't deserve this damage to his public and professional reputation. He doesn't deserve to be a pariah in his own country, let alone the battering he's taking in outlets around the world. But this ain't over. It won't be over for a long time.

Anonymous said...

Enough is enough indeed, Simon. JWR and JP are clearly enjoying their little drips to the media a little too much, slowly pushing the knife into JT's back. However, they are incredibly stupid because the truth and their motives are slowly coming to light and will end up making them look like even bigger fools than they already are. Dumb and dumber they are. They have to be for ever having anything to do with the likes of Kinsella. Duh!
Well ladies, I hope you enjoy the bed you've made but prepare yourselves as this ride is about to get real bumpy.
JD

The Mound of Sound said...

I largely agree with you this time, Simon. What I don't understand is why the prime minister allows this to fester within his caucus? Why doesn't he turf both of them? What is holding him back? And what are the Kinsella's after? Why hasn't Chretien reined them in for the sake of the Liberal party? How deep does this go?

Steve said...

he cant jettsion them yet, but the time is just about here. Men or woman, native or immigrant, if you set out to knife the king in the back, you better make sure you double tap. These women used a pellet gun.

Gyor said...

Simon how do you feel about the CEO of SNC-Lavlin shredding Trudeau's excuse that it was for the sake of jobs, to which Trudeau doubled down , increasing the number of Canada jobs at stake from 9000 to 10000?

Anonymous said...

They know more about Justin’s ‘behaviours’, Especially towards women. He lets them go, they talk, he burns. That simple.

Anonymous said...

Of course the CEO of SNC will deny jobs are at stake or they would consider moving if things don't work out, its all about maintaining share price and investors heavily discount prices when faced with uncertainty. Would love to see his share price related bonus plan and share options. Make no mistake if they end up loosing existing as well as locked out of future federal contracts for 10 years the top jobs will be gone as well as the career paths for some of Canada's talented engineers. Perhaps SNC needs to be put out of its misery, but it will come at a cost. The biggest irony is that if Trudeau had supported criminal prosecution and the government won the Cons would be all over him for naively causing huge job losses. Same as calling him naive for not breaking the law and warning Meng Wanzhou before she entered Canada.
RT

Anonymous said...

Good post Simon, it took time but the pieces are slowly coming together. The irony is that if the "scandal within a scandal" gains momentum the click hungry media will be all over it as unfortunately it has appeal to a wider audience and ultimately more damaging to people who least deserve it.
RT

Visitor - Pierre D. said...

So, as much as the frustrated pseudo-men in the Con media and ranks would like you to believe, Justin isn't a lightweight.
The PMO will use its own advocates in the press and social media to get the message out about them.
Wilson-Raybould and Philpott will be shamed, mercilessly attacked and may even lose their seats (sadly) because of this.

It's only a matter of time before Justin rises again, and then everyone from Coyne to Barton to Gerson will have massive egg on their face.

ottlib said...

Mr. Trudeau will write a book eventually but it will be after his time as PM, sometime towards the end of the 2020's.

ottlib said...

In politics, most of the time the simplest reason is the actual reason for something. Ms. Wilson-Raybould was in a cabinet post she liked. She was moved from it and a few people with their own agendas convinced her that she was demoted. The rest can be seen with this "scandal". This idea that this is some kind of elaborate conspiracy for this or that objective is probably not true.

The one that will regret this the most will be Ms. Philpott. She had a bright future in politics and she tanked it for no good reason.

On the other hand I believe that any link of the "nation-to-nation" idea to Ms. Wilson-Raybould should be hyped up as much as possible. Very few Liberals would go for that, which would stop any more speculation of her wanting the PM's job, and having it disseminated far and wide would cause Andrew Scheer's supporters to blow a gasket. Suddenly all of the support the Conservative caucus have been giving her would come back and bite them on the ass big time. It would produce the best of both worlds. It would cause all sorts of headaches for Mr. Scheer as the Yellow Vest crowd goes ballistic and that would force him to abandon JWR, which would leave her completely isolated. Even the Kinsellas, if they do indeed have a role in all of this, would drop her like a hot rock.

Cathie from Canada said...

I am also thinking now that PMJT and the PMO were caught flatfooted originally by this because the SNCLavelin story was inflated from the beginning, just to provide an excuse for the resignations and all that has followed.

Simon said...

Hi everyone....I sprained my wrist rather badly today while working on a friend's boat.So I won't be able to answer your comments or blog for a while. Thank you for those comments and I'll be back as soon as possible....🤕

Marmalade said...

Sorry to hear this......wishing you WELL!

Anonymous said...

Conservatives Using Nefarious Tactics Simon!

Jackie Blue said...

Oh, no. :(

Feel better soon, Simon. We'll miss you. We all need all the encouragement we can get!

Hail Caesar! :D

bcwaterboy said...

I think you're on to something Simon and this whole sorrid affair is about so much more than a non-prosecution agreement for SNC- what they did in those countries is standard fare for any company that wants a contract- bribes are a way of sealing the deal. We may not like it or do things that way in Canada, but that's the way it is. On to JWR and Phillpot- I agree that the nation to nation piece is the real story here as is Trudeau's ouster. I'm concerned that this is all going to backfire and elect the cons with there horrible leader come fall. Far be it from me to ever agree with Christy Clark but she nailed the jobs angle, which I think IS a real concern. JWR and Phillpot (sic) could have done this all behind the scenes and not put the country at risk, but they did and will be largely responsible for the October election loss.

Steve said...

Have you tried an oxygen chamber, we need you totally rehabbed for the election.

Anonymous said...

Hi Simon, Sorry for your luck and I'm hoping that it's a quick heal(do your physio religiously). Have you considered using a voice to text app? I tried one a while back for S&G and it actually wasn't bad until I tried it while eating crackers. Just a thought.
Motorcycles and now boats, I'm concerned for your safety my friend.
Get well soon. +:)
JD

e.a.f. said...

OMG, while all of your readers are upset about this and wish you well, I'm sure the conservatives are some what glad they are getting a break for awhile. Consider this a good time to take a break and enjoy life, just do it very, very carefully. No broke bits.

Take care of yourself, give the arm a rest, get plenty of sleep, go to pysio and do what the Doctor tells you. Get well soon!