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“I conveyed to her that a lot of her colleagues and the prime minister were quite anxious about what they were hearing and reading in the business press about the future of the company, the options that were being openly discussed in the business press about the company moving or closing,” he said.

Photo by Chris Wattie / REUTERS

“So I can tell you with complete assurance that my view of those conversations is that they were within the boundaries of what’s lawful and appropriate, I was informing the minister of context. She may have another view of the conversation, but that’s something that the ethics commissioner could sort out.”

He repeatedly pointed to the investigation already underway by Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion, calling it the best way to get to the bottom of the controversy.

Wernick also slammed the initial Globe and Mail story that cited confidential sources alleging Wilson-Raybould was pressured.

“I am here to say to you that The Globe and Mail article contains errors, unfounded speculation, and in some cases is simply defamatory,” he said.

Right from his opening statement, it was clear Wernick would be going beyond what senior public servants typically say in public. He told the committee he was “deeply concerned about my country now, its politics, and where it’s headed.”

“I worry about the rising tides of incitements to violence when people use terms like ‘treason’ and ‘traitor’ in open discourse,” he said. “Those are the words that lead to assassination.”