Conservative leader Andrew Scheer has received the threat of a lawsuit from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over comments he made regarding the SNC-Lavalin affair.
Scheer said on March 31 he received a letter from Trudeau's lawyer threatening a libel suit over "defamatory" remarks Scheer made in a press statement two days earlier.
In a press conference Sunday afternoon, Scheer said his lawyers have told him that the Prime Minister has no case against him and added that he stands by comments he has made about Trudeau.
"I stand by every single criticism I have made of Mr. Trudeau's conduct in regards to this scandal, including those Mr Trudeau's lawyer cites in his letter," Scheer told the crowd. "They are all based on the facts that have emerged from parliamentary testimony and irrefutable evidence presented Jody Wilson-Raybould."
Wilson-Raybould testified before the House of Commons justice committee at the end of February. Her testimony included allegations of how she had been pressured by the Prime Minister’s Office to cut a deal with SNC-Lavalin, a Montreal-based company that is currently facing charges of corruption and fraud related to its work in Libya. Trudeau has continued to deny any misconduct from him or his office.
On his Twitter page, Scheer posted his lawyer's response to Trudeau's claims of libel, which encourages the PM to proceed with the lawsuit if he thinks he has a case against him.
"If the Prime Minister intends to commence a lawsuit, he should proceed with it immediately," reads the letter. "Mr. Scheer will defend vigorously and will press for the expedited determination of the action. Mr Scheer looks forward to obtaining the Prime Minister's evidence under oath and having the matter heard in open court."
https://twitter.com/AndrewScheer/status/1114959038049992704
During the press conference, Scheer added that the threat of a lawsuit was merely a way to keep him quiet.
"It is clear what this is. This is a blatant attempt to use, and some would say misuse, threats of legal action to stop me from fulfilling my constitutional duty as leader of the opposition to hold the government of the day to account on behalf of all Canadians," said Scheer. "It is a further attempt to silence those who stand up against Justin Trudeau and who seek the truth."
Towards the end of the press conference, Scheer wouldn't directly confirm if he thinks the Prime Minister broke the law with the SNC-Lavalin scandal. However, he said he believes that Trudeau led a campaign to interfere with ongoing court proceedings and that he has asked the RCMP to investigate further.
There was no immediate response from the Prime Minister himself but minutes after the press conference was over his executive director of communications and planning, Kate Purchase, took a jab at Scheer on Twitter claiming he was using his own bad behaviour as a media strategy.
https://twitter.com/katepurchase/status/1114963535174328320