Essex MP Tracey Ramsey makes her maiden question in the House of Commons, December 11, 2015. (Courtesy of Tracey Ramsey.)Essex MP Tracey Ramsey makes her maiden question in the House of Commons, December 11, 2015. (Courtesy of Tracey Ramsey.)
Windsor

Liberals accused of covering up SNC Lavalin affair

The MP in Essex County is calling for the Liberal government to be more transparent during the SNC Lavalin controversy.

Tracey Ramsey made the call shortly after the Liberals used their majority on the House of Commons justice committee to shut down an attempt to call former justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould to testify again on the SNC-Lavalin affair.

"Today was an extreme disappointment," Ramsey said. "What are they hiding and why won’t they let her speak?"

Ramsey, who sits on the committee, is calling on the Liberal government to show real leadership and transparency to Canadians by allowing Wilson-Raybould to tell the full story surrounding SNC-Lavalin.

"The motion was not defeated, instead, the Liberal MPs on the committee undemocratically called an abrupt end to the meeting, refusing debate, denying transparency and withholding justice," she added.

The former Principal Secretary to the prime minister, Gerald Butts, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have told their sides of the story. The clerk of the Privy Council, Michael Wernick, was also allowed to return to the committee to clarify previous statements and Ramsey is asking why the Liberals are not allowing Wilson-Raybould to do the same.

"What are they afraid she’ll say?” asked Ramsey.

She said there are many holes in the stories coming from Trudeau, Wernick and Butts, and the NDP believes the only way Canadians will be able to hear the full story and get the entire truth behind this scandal is to hold an independent, public inquiry.

Ramsey wanted to move a motion in the committee calling for a public inquiry but debate ended abruptly.

“Canadians deserve to know the truth, they deserve a government that doesn’t have one set of laws for their rich corporate donor-friends and another set for everyone else and they certainly are not getting either from the Liberals,” said Ramsey.

The Conservatives said Canada is facing a moral and ethical crisis of leadership and accuse Trudeau of a "coverup".

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