Trudeau’s former principal secretary invited to testify before justice committee on SNC-Lavalin affair

OTTAWA (NEWS 1130) – Justin Trudeau’s former principal secretary has been invited to speak to the House of Commons justice committee on the SNC-Lavalin affair.

Earlier today, Gerald Butts tweeted that he issued a formal request to testify.

“I watched the testimony of The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould yesterday. I believe my evidence will be of assistance to the Justice and Human Rights Committee in its consideration of these matters. I respectfully request the opportunity to attend the Committee,” the letter stated.

RELATED: Trudeau’s principal secretary, Gerald Butts, resigns amid SNC-Lavalin furor

When Butts resigned on Feb. 18, he issued a statement categorically denying the accusation that he or anyone in the PMO improperly pressured Wilson-Raybould to help the Montreal engineering giant avoid prosecution on corruption and bribery charges related to contracts in Libya.

He said the accusation is “simply not true.”

Butts said it’s his responsibility to defend his own reputation, and that it was in the best interests of the government for him to step away.

The justice committee is also asking Michael Wernick, the clerk of the privy council, and deputy attorney general Nathalie Drouin to speak about two conversations Vancouver-Granville MP Jody Wilson-Raybould testified about.

It’s unclear when any of them may speak, but the committee says once they do, it will consider next steps.

On Wednesday, Wilson-Raybould gave an explosive testimony, confirming the allegations of inappropriate pressure from the Prime Minister’s Office on the SNC-Lavalin case.

Testifying to the House of Commons justice committee, the Vancouver-Granville MP says she was subjected to sustained efforts from 11 people in the Prime Minister’s Office, the Privy Council Office, and the Ministry of Finance to cut a deal for the Quebec engineering firm SNC-Lavalin.

 – With files from Cormac MacSweeney, Kaitlin Lee