The heart of the matter — SNC Lavalin
' “Despite paragraph (2) (i), if the organization is alleged to have committed an offence under section 3 or 4 of the Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act, the prosecutor must not consider the national economic interest, the potential effect on relations with a state other than Canada, or the identity of the organization or individual involved.”
__________________________________________
Canadian governments rise and fall, not so much on specific issues, as aggregate voter sentiment.
Despite justifications that Liberals were trying to straddle legitimate economic and political concerns, it seems they broke the law. Not only broke the law, but removed a minister that had no choice but to uphold that law. In so doing, they've martyred Wilson-Raybould.
In parallel, they attempted to bury their actions in an omnibus bill.
Before this issue surfaced, Liberals were already facing a contentious 2019 election. Now, the party's political fate will be determined by voters who've seen the law broken and a lawfully-acting minister demoted, while interacting dishonestly with the Canadian public and its elected representatives.
This was tragic and compounded stupidity, touching on many Canadian tropes -- favoritism to Quebec, corporate influence in politics, respect for the law, and more.
The dynamics of Canada's next election have changed. Liberals may end up with a minority government — or none at all. |
