Article content continued

We were reminded of that distinction when China arbitrarily arrested Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor in retaliation for the lawful detention of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou pursuant to an extradition request from the U.S.

Commentators differ about whether Trudeau obstructed justice by interfering in the criminal prosecution of SNC-Lavalin. However, there appears to be a solid basis for the RCMP to launch an investigation.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or

Section 139 (2) of the Criminal Code states that “Everyone who wilfully attempts in any manner … to obstruct, pervert or defeat the course of justice is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years.”

Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion found that “The authority of the prime minister and his office was used to circumvent, undermine and ultimately attempt to discredit the decision of the director of public prosecutions as well as the authority of Ms. Wilson‑Raybould as the Crown’s chief law officer.” He further found Trudeau contravened Section 9 of the Conflict of Interest Act through a series of “flagrant attempts to influence” the Attorney General to reach an agreement with SNC-Lavalin to avoid criminal prosecution.

These words partially overlap in intent – obstruct/circumvent, pervert/discredit, defeat/undermine. It’s speculation, but the Ethics Commissioner may have deliberately avoided the precise words of the Criminal Code, which is outside his jurisdiction. Nevertheless, his description is comparable.