According to Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, the RCMP hid “scandals” involving former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, which, he claims, would have resulted in criminal charges. Poilievre recently gave an interview to the YouTube channel Northern Perspective in which he described the RCMP leadership as “despicable” and stated that many of the scandals that occurred during the Trudeau administration “should have involved jail time.” During the SNC-Lavalin scandal, the former prime minister, according to Poilievre, “probably” broke the law. “These would normally have led to criminal charges, but of course the RCMP covered it all up,” he said.In 2023, the Conservatives argued that the Liberals, NDP and Bloc censored the RCMP by shutting down the RCMP commissioner’s testimony on the SNC-Lavalin scandal in a parliamentary committee meeting.In the interview, Poilievre also said Trudeau broke the code when he took a “free vacation from someone with whom he had government business,” alluding to the 2016 Aga Khan scandal.“ “He would have been criminally charged if the RCMP had been doing its job and not covering for him,” Poilievre stated. Thursday, at a news conference in Toronto, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme told reporters that the SNC-Lavalin scandal was talked about “quite a lot” during the previous administration and that there was no interference. Duheme stated, “I don’t take orders from any political person.” Poilievre was invited to meet with the RCMP by Duheme to discuss his remarks regarding the organization’s management. Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said in an email statement that Poilievre’s comments are “deeply irresponsible” and risk undermining trust in the national institution.
He stated that the RCMP is completely independent from political interference, and Canadians can have complete faith in it. Anandasangaree stated, “The RCMP operates without direction from elected officials, regardless of who is in government.” “Suggesting that Canada’s national police force engages in political cover-ups without evidence is not leadership — it is an attack on the impartiality of law enforcement in our country.”“ Instead of attempting to undermine the public’s faith in the dedicated officers who serve and protect Canadians every day from coast to coast, political leaders ought to respect the RCMP’s work.
RCMP covered up Trudeau-era scandals, Poilievre alleges
