Prime Minister Justin Trudeau got a first-hand glimpse of the fallout from the SNC-Lavalin affair when he addressed young women staging a mock Parliament in the House of Commons Wednesday: about four dozen of them turned their backs on him while he tried to explain why he had booted Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott out of the Liberal caucus the day before.
It was a rough start for Trudeau's efforts to re-establish himself as a feminist and supporter of reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.
Some of the women, delegates chosen to represent each of the country's 338 ridings through a program called Daughters of the Vote, were unconvinced. They called him a "fake feminist" and doubted the authenticity of his commitment to reconciling with Indigenous Peoples -- sentiments echoed by opposition parties.
Many of the same women walked out of the Commons altogether when Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer addressed them. Yesno said that was done deliberately, so their protest against Trudeau couldn't be used as ammunition by the official Opposition. Trudeau informed the two former ministers Tuesday that he won't allow them to seek re-election as Liberal candidates this fall. Both said Wednesday it's too soon to say whether their careers in politics are finished or whether they might run as independents or for another party.
The revelation last week that Wilson-Raybould had surreptitiously recorded a phone conversation with Michael Wernick, the clerk of the Privy Council, to bolster her contention of undue pressure was the last straw for Liberal MPs, who openly called on Trudeau to expel the former ministers. On Tuesday, Trudeau called the secret recording "unconscionable," proof that the ex-minister could no longer be trusted.
"You have to be able to hold your head high and look at yourself in the mirror at the end of the day and say that the choices you made were the best ones under the circumstances," said Philpott.
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