Mark Norman's trial was supposed to begin in August, just a couple of months before the next federal election. The trial would have likely dragged on into October and become the focus of unwanted media attention, particularly regarding some backdoor dealings involving the Trudeau government. When lawyers for Mark Norman's defence requested documents from the Trudeau government, the Trudeau government stonewalled and refused to hand them over. Clearly, there was something in those documents they didn't want Canadians to see and within a month or two, charges against Mark Norman were mysteriously stayed, citing "new information".

Go figure. No trial during an election. How convenient for the Trudeau government.

Suddenly, Mark Norman is innocent. However, it's being alleged that Justin Trudeau went out of his way to destroy Mark Norman, but when it became clear that the media and Norman's lawyers weren't about to let the trial unfold quietly, someone, somewhere put the whole thing to rest. It was strangely convenient for the Trudeau government, considering the upcoming Mark Norman trial was being referred to as Justin Trudeau's very own Mike Duffy Affair by journalists and reporters who just received a massive $600M bribe from the Liberals.

Ouch. The bribe didn't work. The details of the whole Mark Norman Affair were way too tantalizing and juicy for journalists to ignore. No one was willing to just let it slide, not Conservatives either. The opportunities provided to journalists and Conservatives by the whole Mark Norman Affair was a career booster. Any new information a journalist could uncover would most definitely lead to a higher profile, credibility and a better future in the field. For Conservatives, the whole affair is an opportunity to win votes. The Mark Norman Affair was turning out to be a big win for everyone but Justin Trudeau. Hence, the quickest way to end it was to drop all charges and hope for amnesia to set in.

How about that SNC-Lavalin scandal? Same story. The details are way too juicy to ignore, no matter how much bribe money the Trudeau government can offer. The whole scandal is starting to fade, but poll numbers aren't showing a quick recovery for Justin Trudeau or his party. Even the Nanos weekly tracker is showing a decline that doesn't seem to be rebounding quickly, if at all. I still think the rebound will happen, especially after Trudeau starts to campaign, but this slump seems less temporary and harder to ignore than I had expected. Without question, Justin Trudeau has damaged his own brand and possibly blown the second chance his party was given by voters.