UPDATED: Gerald Butts testifying, says his version of SNC-Lavalin events 'very different'
OTTAWA -- Gerald Butts, the former principal secretary to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, is spelling out his side of the SNC-Lavalin scandal in his appearance before the House Justice Committee.In his opening remarks, Butts said that he is there to present evidence that shows that what happened, “is very different from the version of events you heard last week.”
Butts also said that Trudeau gave direction to his top aides, that through the entire process, they were to keep in mind the thousands of jobs that would be at stake if SNC-Lavalin was found guilty. He's expected to spend two hours in front of the committee answering MPs questions, a rare occurrence for someone who has played a key backroom role for the first three years of Trudeau's mandate.
The Liberal MPs on the committee said in a statement about Butts' appearance that after reviewing all of what Wilson-Raybould had to say, they want more clarification on specific meetings and phone calls she referenced.Butts is a longtime friend of Trudeau and has been by his side since he helped the Liberals get elected in 2015. Prior to that both he and Telford had careers at the Ontario legislature.
On Monday, Philpott quit cabinet saying she had lost confidence in the way the government is handling the scandal.
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