New dispute simmers between Wilson-Raybould and Liberals

Jody Wilson-Raybould and Canada’s governing Liberals are at loggerheads once again–though this time the dispute is not over policy but over office space.

Wilson-Raybould, a former minister of justice who was expelled from the Liberal caucus earlier this year in a dispute that drew headlines, has not moved out of a Parliament Hill office that was given to her when she was a cabinet minister.

She currently sits as an Independent after winning re-election in October and has been asked to vacate what has been described as a “suite” of six offices equipped with a private bathroom on the fourth floor of the Confederation Building, which MPs are currently using while their former offices are being renovated.

Wilson-Raybould told CBC News calling the offices a “suite” is inaccurate, saying she has the use of two adjacent MP offices without a connecting door and adding she has volunteered to give one up if she can stay in the other.

“It seems a little bit petty to me,” Wilson-Raybould told CBC News.

“It makes no sense to remove me from my MP office. So I don’t understand why they’re wanting to do it.”

Offices on Parliament Hill offices are reassigned following an election with priority based on party standings.

Wilson-Raybould was allowed to stay in the office after she resigned from cabinet during the SNC-Lavalin controversy, but as an Independent she lacks the clout to choose her own office.

“The office is an average sized MP office–not a palace,” Wilson-Raybould told CTV News.

“As of yesterday afternoon I was still working with House Admin to find (a) solution.”

With files from CBC News (David Cochrane, Jorge Barrera), CTV News (Alexandra Mae Jones)