Burnaby North–Seymour MP Terry Beech says he tried unsuccessfully to play peacemaker between two factions of the Liberal Party that have been at odds for weeks.
As the SNC Lavalin scandal tore through Canadian politics over the last two months, Beech remained largely silent. He did not speak to media on the topic, including after the NOW asked him to respond to harsh criticism from his NDP opponent, Svend Robinson.
But the Burnaby parliamentarian told the NOW on Tuesday that he had spent the last several weeks acting as an intermediary between Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott on one side and the Prime Minister’s Office on the other.
Those efforts ultimately failed to mend fences between the two camps, as Wilson-Raybould, the Vancouver Granville MP and former attorney general, and Jane Philpott, an Ontario MP who left cabinet in solidarity with Wilson-Raybould, were expelled from Liberal caucus by the prime minister Tuesday.
Neither MP will be allowed to stand as Liberal candidates in the Oct. 21 election as they had planned.
Beech said Tuesday’s news made for a “sad day.”
“I tried everything that I could working with Jody and Jane to try to find a resolution that brought the team together, and I appreciated that the prime minister also tried every possible route, but at the end of the day, Canadians are counting on us to deliver for them,” Beech said.
The first-term MP said he could not go into detail about the effort he made to mediate between the two sides because conversations between caucus members should be kept confidential.
“I made every effort over the last five weeks to try to come to (a) resolution and I'm sad that this is the eventual outcome,” Beech said.
The Burnaby MP described Wilson-Raybould as “a close personal friend” and said he had “unbelievable respect” for Philpott.
It was Trudeau’s decision to kick the two former members of cabinet off the Liberal team, Beech said.
Beech would not say how he would voted had the fates of Wilson-Raybould and Philpott come to a caucus vote.
Asked why he wouldn’t answer the question, he said “because I would have to think about it really hard,” adding “there's nothing easy about this.”
But Beech said he thought Trudeau ultimately made the right call.
“When it comes to caucus politics and governing the country, you have to have a team that trusts each other and it was obvious over the last number of weeks – and certainly more obvious over the last couple days – that that trust had been eroded and you need trust in order to have a well functioning caucus,” he said.
Asked whether he had personally lost trust in Philpott and Wilson-Raybould, Beech paused, saying “let me think about that for a second.”
“I think more than most, I'd hoped that there was a way forward, because I've just had such a productive relationship with both of them and I've learned so much from both of them and I know that on 99 per cent of issues, our vision and values are the same,” Beech said.
“And that's why this is such a sad day and I hope that there will be an opportunity to be able to work with them in some capacity in the future, but the prime minister made the right decision.”
Beech said he will host an open house at his constituency office (3906 Hastings St.) on Monday from 1 to 5 p.m. It will be open to any constituent who wants to talk about the SNC Lavalin case and the subsequent fallout, he said.
Beech also turned 38 on Tuesday, calling it “a birthday I’ll never forget.”
The NOW requested comment from the Prime Minister's Office, Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott for comment, but has not heard back yet.
