OTTAWA - Veterans Affairs Minister Jody
Wilson-Raybould quit on Tuesday amid news reports that she was
pressured to go easy on a major firm last year when she was
justice minister, a development that deepened a political crisis
for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau just months ahead of an
election.
Wilson-Raybould, who did not give any reasons for her
resignation, said in a letter to Trudeau she was quitting "with
a heavy heart," adding that "I am aware that many Canadians wish
for me to speak on matters that have been in the media over the
past week."
The Globe and Mail reported that people in Trudeau's office
tried to pressure Wilson-Raybould last year to help construction
company SNC-Lavalin Group Inc avoid a corruption trial
when she was justice minister.
Wilson-Raybould, who the Globe and Mail said had ignored the
pressure, was demoted from the justice ministry last month.
Trudeau said on Monday that he had full confidence in her and
that her presence in cabinet spoke for itself.
Trudeau's office said the prime minister would stick to
previously announced plans to speak to reporters later on
Tuesday in Winnipeg.
The resignation is the second blow for Trudeau in two days
over the affair. Mario Dion, Canada's independent ethics
commissioner, said on Monday he was probing allegations of
possible wrongdoing by senior officials.
In a hint that the situation could grow more complicated for
Trudeau, Wilson-Raybould has retained former Supreme Court
Justice Thomas Cromwell to advise her on how much she can say
about the SNC-Lavalin case. Cromwell declined an interview
request.
"This is bigger trouble for the government than almost
anything else that has come along so far," said Richard
Johnston, a professor at the University of British Columbia and
an expert in public opinion and election.
Opinion polls show Trudeau's Liberals have a slender lead
over the official opposition Conservatives ahead of an election
set for this October.
"Mr. Trudeau's ethical lapses and his disastrous handling of
this latest scandal have thrown his government into chaos,"
Conservative leader Andrew Scheer said in a statement.
In 2017, Trudeau apologized after the office of the ethics
commissioner said he had broken conflict-of-interest laws by
accepting a vacation on a Bahamas island owned by the Aga Khan.
Wilson-Raybould, 47, appointed justice minister when
Trudeau's Liberals came to power in November 2015, is one of the
most prominent aboriginal politicians in federal politics.