The RCMP has disclosed some documents and redacted others regarding its investigation of the Trudeau cabinet regarding SNC Lavalin, prompting more questions from the watchdog organization that requested the documents.Democracy Watch released the 1,815 pages of records contained in 19 documents the RCMP disclosed in response a July 2022 request.The organization, co-founded by Duff Conacher, asked for all records of the RCMP’s investigation into allegations that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Liberal cabinet officials obstructed justice by pressuring then-Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould to stop the prosecution of SNC-Lavalin in 2018, now operating under the name “AtkinsRéalis”.Seven of the 19 documents have not been disclosed before. Three documents on the RCMP’s legal opinion are fully redacted and another two have some redactions. The other 12 documents had previously been made public.The RCMP’s Access to Information and Privacy branch sent DWatch an emailed letter on July 20 to say it had more than 4,000 pages to review. This contradicted the RCMP’s May 25 letter which attached only 96 pages of records. The letter claimed 86 of those pages were fully redacted because the RCMP’s investigation of the matter was still ongoing. After DWatch publicly announced the investigation was ongoing, the RCMP clarified its investigation had actually concluded in January, four months prior to sending the letter that claimed the investigation was ongoing.Although 1,815 pages were sent to DWatch on Sept 22, the RCMP said it must review and process 2,200 other pages of investigation records.The records show RCMP investigating officers only spoke to three witnesses concerning the obstruction allegation, Wilson-Raybould, her chief of staff Jessica Prince, and former Deputy Minister of Justice Nathalie Drouin (who became Deputy Clerk of the Privy Council Office in 2021). The RCMP never considered prosecuting anyone for breach of trust, according to a DWatch summary of the records. In a press release, Conacher expressed skepticism.“The records also show that the RCMP continued to call the investigation an ‘assessment’ so that it could say to the media that it wasn’t investigating, even though it is clear the officers were investigating (only in a very superficial way),” said Conacher.The records reveal the investigating officer initially established a conviction required proving pressure must have been placed on someone to obstruct a proceeding in the justice system.The officer concluded such pressure had been put on Wilson-Raybould by Prime Minister Trudeau and other cabinet officials to obstruct the proceeding of a prosecution of SNC-Lavalin.“However, the investigating officer then switches the standard to require proof of ‘a corrupt intent to interfere’ before a prosecution for obstruction would be pursued,” explained Conacher.The RCMP’s national command received its investigation report in March of 2021 but took until January 2023 to decide to conclude the investigation without prosecution. The records show the RCMP accepted the Trudeau cabinet’s restricted disclosure order and didn’t apply to court for a search warrant to obtain secret cabinet documents or internal communications.Conacher said the RCMP should have gotten a search warrant for the secret cabinet communications “instead of making a behind-closed-doors and very questionable decision to cover up their investigation.” He also demanded a public inquiry into the RCMP “cover up” to find out how and why prosecution never took place.“The records show the RCMP is a negligently weak lapdog that rolled over for Prime Minister Trudeau by doing a very superficial investigation into his cabinet’s obstruction of the prosecution of SNC-Lavalin, not trying to obtain key secret cabinet communication records, and burying the investigation with an almost two-year delay,” said Conacher.“The RCMP also misled the public by claiming it wasn’t investigating, violated the open government law by keeping investigation records secret much longer than is allowed and is refusing to disclose the legal details why no one was prosecuted.”Conacher said an independent special prosecutor, appointed by all party leaders, should have been appointed to oversee the investigation and issue a public report when it ended. He complained about the RCMP’s “systemic culture of excessive secrecy and lack of independence from the prime minister and cabinet ministers who handpick the RCMP Commissioner through a secretive process.”“The RCMP consistently fails to enforce Canada’s anti-corruption laws in a timely, effective way, which shows the need for key changes,” said Conacher. He suggested “a new fully independent anti-corruption police force, including prosecutors” should be appointed for any investigations of a federal cabinet.”
