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The SNC-Lavalin scandal has been rumbling on for two months now after former justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould said she had been leaned on last year to ensure construction company SNC-Lavalin Group Inc escaped a corruption trial. Former Treasury Board chief Jane Philpott resigned her post because she disagreed with how Trudeau had handled the matter and this week he ousted both women from his party. Ms Philpott said: "There is very good evidence that there were attempts to have political interference with a very serious criminal trial.

"I have tried to suggest that the way to deal with this is to speak the truth, to admit that mistakes were made, to apologize to Canadians for it and find out how it happened and make sure it never happens again.”

In an interview with the Globe and Mail newspaper, Ms Wilson-Raybould said Mr Trudeau should have "accepted responsibility and apologised to Canadians."

Ms Wilson-Raybould has said officials urged her to overrule prosecutors who insisted SNC-Lavalin face trial on charges of bribing Libyan officials between 2001 and 2011. The firm wanted to take advantage of a law passed last year allowing it to escape with a fine.

Mr Trudeau continues to deny any wrongdoing, saying he and officials had wanted to make sure Ms Wilson-Raybould understood the potential for job losses if SNC-Lavalin were found guilty.