Canadian PM Justin Trudeau denies wrongdoing, says he ‘totally disagrees’ with ex-minister who accuses him of meddling in SNC-Lavalin bribery case
- Trudeau says former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould could be removed from the ruling Liberal Party after she refused to say she had confidence in him
- She told MPs on Wednesday that Trudeau’s office inappropriately tried to get her to prevent the criminal prosecution of Quebec engineering giant SNC-Lavalin
Canada’s former attorney general, whose testimony against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his aides has thrust his administration into its deepest political crisis, could find herself ejected from her party after refusing to confirm she has confidence in his leadership, it emerged on Thursday.
Trudeau acknowledged that his former attorney general, Jody Wilson-Raybould, could be removed from the Liberal Party, telling reporters on Thursday that he would have to review fully her recent testimony on the political interference scandal before making a decision.
“My team and I have always acted in a professional manner,” Trudeau told reporters Thursday morning, rejecting suggestions he or his staff acted inappropriately in their numerous conversations with Wilson-Raybould, attempting to persuade her that Quebec engineering giant SNC-Lavalin should not be criminally charged in a bribery case.
Cabinet ministers rallied around Trudeau, a day after Wilson-Raybould told a parliamentary committee of being “hounded” and receiving “veiled threats” from the prime minister’s office and elsewhere in his administration in an unsuccessful campaign to get her to change her mind.