As the public awaits answers on the SNC-Lavalin affair, Jody Wilson-Raybould is urging her constituents not to accept the notion that "this is just the way things are done."
In a letter to voters in her Vancouver Granville riding, the former attorney general says recent events have been a "wake-up call" for many people across Canada.
"These matters are still unfolding, and further clarity and information is needed. As in other places around the globe, our democratic institutions and norms – including the rule of law and prosecutorial independence – are under pressure," it reads.
"Unsurprisingly, some responses to this challenge – including from some politicians and commentators – suggest this is simply the way things are, and the way things will always be."
Unlike in her bombshell testimony before the House of Commons justice committee last month, Wilson-Raybould does not name Prime Minister Justin Trudeau or any other elected officials in her letter.
In general terms, she calls on supporters to reject the “old, cynical view” of politics.
"We need never resign ourselves to the excuse that 'this is just the way things are done.' Our country is built on a belief that we can, and must, continually do better. We will never be perfect, but we must always be striving to strengthen the foundations of diversity, inclusion, equality, and justice. When we are not doing that, we have truly lost our way," the member of parliament argues.
Wilson-Raybould says she has received more than 10,000 communications, including emails, texts and letters, from across the country as the affair has unfolded.
She also indicates, despite the rift with Trudeau and several people in his office, that she still "currently" intends to run for re-election as a Liberal candidate in this year's election.
Read the full letter below.
