Canadian senior civil servant to quit amid scandal

OTTAWA, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Canada's senior civil servant Michael Wernick said Monday he will step down as Clerk of the Privy Council amid accusations that he inappropriately intervened in the criminal prosecution of a corporate.

In an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau published on the Government of Canada website, Wernick said he will retire in the coming weeks after he had concluded that he had lost the trust of the opposition parties.

Wernick was thrust into the spotlight over the SNC-Lavalin scandal, during which former Attorney General and Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould alleged she was politically pressured by Wernick and other officials to help the Quebec company secure a special legal agreement over charges of bribery and fraud.

During a testimony to the House of Commons Justice Committee on this matter, Wernick denied ever making any threats in relation to Wilson-Raybould's handling of the criminal case as she had alleged.

Wernick is supposed to be non-partisan as Clerk of the Privy Council. However, opposition parties labelled him as a partisan for his testimony and called for his resignation.

Wernick, who was named Clerk of the Privy Council in 2016 and has worked in the public service for nearly 38 years, admitted that working with opposition parties would be difficult going forward.

"One of the key roles of the Privy Council Office is to be ready to assist whichever government Canadians elect in October ... It is now apparent that there is no path for me to have a relationship of mutual trust and respect with the leaders of the Opposition parties. Therefore, I wish to relinquish these roles before the election," he said.

Trudeau announced Monday afternoon that he will appoint Ian Shugart, currently deputy minister of foreign affairs, to replace Wernick.

Meanwhile, Trudeau thanked Wernick for "his support over the last few years as we worked to implement an ambitious agenda to build a better future for the people and communities at the heart of this country."