By Jessie Weisner

Local political scientist comments on Jody Wilson-Raybould’s resignation

Feb 13, 2019 | 3:15 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — Liberal MP Jody Wilson-Raybould’s resignation peaked the interest of much of the country on Tuesday including a local political science professor.

Jim Groom with Medicine Hat College says he doesn’t believe Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is directly involved in the scandal, but that someone else in the Prime Minister’s Office likely is.

The high-profile resignation came amid questions about whether Trudeau or anyone in his office pressured Wilson-Raybould to abandon the prosecution of a case against SNC-Lavalin when she was the justice minister.

Groom believes if Wilson-Raybould speaks in front of the Justice Committee or Ethics Commissioners to give them the full story, they’ll find that what Trudeau is saying is true.

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Instead, Groom says it’s like someone in the PMO will act as a scapegoat, and take the blame for ‘pressuring’ Raybould.

“Depending on whether Jody Wilson-Raybould does, if she decides that she doesn’t have to maintain solicitor-client privilege any longer and then will speak in front of the justice committee or to the ethics commissioners and give them the full story,” says Groom. “Then I think they’ll find there’s probably a scapegoat in the Prime Minister’s Office that they can simply say ‘well that person over-reached and was a little bit too enthusiastic,’ and they may fire that person.”

Groom says the situation is too scandalous for the Prime Minister to get directly involved.

“I think the public is going to be a little disappointed, and that it’s really a senior person in the Prime Minister’s Office who’s influenced her,” says Groom. “It’s not the prime minister and its not a politician because they’re too smart to do that.”