BC Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief Terry Teegee has sounded off following the dismissal of Jody Wilson Raybould from the Liberal Caucus.
The main issue at hand was the SNC Lavalin controversy where Wilson-Raybould secretly taped a conversation with former Privy Council Chief Michael Wernick.
Teegee tells My PG Now even though what Wilson-Raybould did may have been unethical, however, he believes she was left with little choice.
“I think what she was doing was wrong but at the same time, the whole judicial system and the attorney general’s office was really on trial here and she upheld the integrity of that office as well as the judicial system.”
In February, Wilson-Raybould resigned from Justin Trudeau’s cabinet where she left her role as Veterans Affairs Minister.
The result may have been a predictable outcome, but that doesn’t make an easier pill to swallow.
The news is upsetting but not surprising to Teegee who believes Wilson-Raybould was backed into a corner when the scandal reached its peak.
“If you were badgered for four months and you know that this isn’t going well and you’re left up to your own device to do anything to protect yourself and I suppose she imagined what would happen in the future, which is probably what we’re experiencing now.”
In his view, the dismissal of Wilson Raybould along with Jane Philpott suggests women and first nations are no longer important to the Liberal Party.
Here is a statement issued by the BCAFN:
“I am outraged at the heavy-handed and unjust decision made by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to
remove these two respected and honourable women from the Liberal caucus today. This action reveals
the deeply flawed and dishonest intent behind his previously stated ‘respect for Indigenous peoples’
and ‘commitment to fundamental change.’ The balance that was being forged within our societies
through the process of reconciliation is now threatened.
The Prime Minister’s wrathful decision to punish these women, who were doing their job as Cabinet
Ministers, also reveals a loss of commitment to hold up women’s rights. A self-proclaimed feminist,
Trudeau’s action contradicts this claim and his priority to honour and respect women has broken
down.
I expected more from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau than to revert to the outdated political system we
were assured was being left behind, but instead remains steadfast beneath his so-called “sunny ways.”
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