Two former ministers who were pushed out of the Liberal caucus after speaking out about the SNC-Lavalin affair are preparing to make announcements about their political futures.
Former justice minister and attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould and former Treasury Board president Jane Philpott are planning dual press conferences on Monday. Wilson-Raybould’s announcement will happen at 9 a.m. PST in Vancouver. Philpott plans to speak 30 minutes later at 12:30 EST, in Markham, Ont., just north of Toronto.
Philpott and Wilson-Raybould were removed from the Liberal caucus on April 2, more than a month after Wilson-Raybould testified to the justice committee that she faced pressure from senior Liberals including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to intervene in the criminal prosecution of Montreal-based construction giant SNC-Lavalin. Trudeau has said that he was interested in the prosecution out of concern for Canadian jobs.
Philpott quit cabinet on March 4, saying that she had lost confidence in the government. She revealed in an interview with CTV Question Period host Evan Solomon last month that she had spoken with the federal NDP and Green Party about the possibility of joining their teams. She said she could not run for the Conservatives, citing “too many policy differences.”
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May told CTV’s Your Morning that she would welcome the two former cabinet ministers to her party, which currently has only two seats.
