OTTAWA — “The prime minister, directly and through his senior officials, used various means to exert influence over Ms. Wilson-Raybould. 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.” — Ethics commissioner Mario Dion
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“Taking responsibility means recognizing that what we did over the last year wasn’t good enough but I can’t apologize for standing up for Canadian jobs because that’s part of what Canadians expect me to do.” — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
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“I am grateful for Commissioner Mario Dion’s thorough report. It represents a vindication of the independent role of the Attorney General and of the Director of Public Prosecutions in criminal prosecutions — and reinforces for Canadians how essential it is for our democracy to uphold the rule of law and prosecutorial independence.” — former justice minister and attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould
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“What we have now is a clear picture of who Justin Trudeau truly is and it’s not who he promised he would be. He promised he would be accountable and ethical. Instead time and time again he has used the power of his office to enrich himself, reward his friends and punish his critics.” — Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer
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“The prime minister always felt he was acting in the best interests of Canadians. . .I do not doubt his sincerity in wanting to have a better country and I do not doubt his leadership in that regard.” — Attorney General David Lametti
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“We know right now, we’ve got proof, we’ve got evidence that he caved to the demands of SNC Lavalin, to a powerful corporation, to change the laws to effectively get them off the hook. and how do we know he’s not going to do that again? We don’t.” — NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh
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“We’re not surprised by the ethics commissioner’s report. It, for us, simply confirms that Mr. Trudeau has been totally consistent in his vote-buying approach. The plan for him was always to buy votes in Quebec by favours to SNC-Lavalin and use whatever means to achieve it. That’s what he did.” — People’s Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier
The Canadian Press
