By believing that the ends justify the means, the Liberals have threatened our democracy GlobeDebate
, Robert Bolt writes a scene in which the 16th-century English lawyer William Roper presses his father-in-law Sir Thomas More, embattled advisor to King Henry VIII, about his defence of a man he deems to be “bad.”“Yes,” More replies. “What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get at the Devil?”The exchange captures the spirit of the inherent, inexorable tension between politics and the rule of law – and reminds us how long this has been a going concern.
On Wednesday, former justice minister and attorney-general Jody Wilson-Raybould gave hours of extraordinary testimony to the House of Commons’ Justice and Human Rights Committee. She spoke of sustained and unreasonable pressure placed on her from the Prime Minister, his office and the Privy Council over the issue of whether to grant the Quebec engineering firm SNC-Lavalin a deferred prosecution agreement rather than pursue criminal charges. Ms.
Ministers serve at the pleasure of the prime minister – he can appoint or dismiss them as he pleases – and the PMO insisted that the SNC-Lavalin deal had nothing to do with Ms. Wilson-Raybould’s demotion. But her telling of events makes the move appear cynical and underhanded, and gives the sense of an end-run around the rule of law.
But the logic of power-for-the-good in politics is insidious and self-reinforcing. You think you’re the right person for the job, and when you win, that only makes you more certain of that. And because you think you’re the right person for the job, you think you’re going to do good. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be the right person. Right? Then, when you get a chance to start doing good, you want to keep your job, to keep doing that good.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Trudeau and senior Liberals kept linking SNC-Lavalin prosecution to elections - Macleans.caJody Wilson-Raybould's opening statement at a parliamentary committee pointed to four conversations in which senior Liberals worried about electoral consequences
Read more »
Mexico Threw Canada 'Under The Bus' During Trade Talks, Liberal MP SaysA side deal between the U.S. and Mexico appeared to blindside the Trudeau government.
Read more »
Liberals face pressure to act on safer drug supply amid opioid-related deathsThe Trudeau government is facing pressure to make safer opioids available to people who use street drugs as overdose deaths continue to increase.
Read more »
‘Veiled threats’: Wilson-Raybould accuses Trudeau and other top Liberals of political interference over SNC-LavalinShe said the conversations were ‘clearly inappropriate’ and included the suggestion that ‘a collision with the Prime Minister on these matters should be avoided’
Read more »
Fewer children living in poverty due to Liberal government’s child benefit: StatscanNew Statistics Canada figures show 278,000 fewer children living below the poverty line in 2017 – the first full year of the benefit – compared to 2015 when the Liberals took office
Read more »
John Robson: Karl Lagerfeld’s strange persona revealed the hollowness of liberal post-modernismLagerfeld was a striking incarnation of today’s left: very self-absorbed, very ironic, very disdainful of truth, very weird, and very empty
Read more »
Liberals' bump in child benefits fuels poverty rate drop, Statistics Canada saysOTTAWA — The national statistics office says fewer children are living in poverty and it is connecting the drop to the Liberal government’s signature child benefit.The Liberals introduc…
Read more »
Liberal Child Benefit Boost Helped Lift 278K Kids Out Of Poverty: StatcanLiberal child benefit boost helped lift 287K kids out of poverty: Statcan
Read more »