Jody Wilson-Raybould could have been fired for a lack of French: Housefather

Was former Attorney-General Jody Wilson-Raybould demoted for her poor French? The Liberal MP for Mount Royal seems to think so.

In an interview Thursday morning with CJAD 800's Elias Makos, Anthony Housefather — who's also chair of the House Justice Committee — repeated the suggestion on three separate occasions.

"There are a lot of justice issues this year, including the Charter of Values being proposed by Quebec, that are going to require a Justice Minister who is very able to communicate with Quebecers," Housefather said.

Housefather also dismissed the notion that Wilson-Raybould's being busted down to the Veteran's Affairs portfolio last month had anything to do with the ongoing SNC-Lavalin scandal.

"People get shuffled in cabinets all the time. This is something that I think adds up," Housefather said.

CJAD 800 political commentator — and former NDP leader — Tom Mulcair isn't completely satisfied with that answer.

"It was very surprising to hear Anthony Housefather say that, and I'm very anxious to hear if anyone's going to confirm it," Mulcair said.

Later in the day, Housefather told Michel Boyer at CTV News Channel that he was just speculating as to why Wilson-Raybould may have been demoted, and has no direct knowledge as to the prime minister's reasons.