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If it’s a scandal you want, the case of former justice minister and attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould and the shadowy reasons behind her mysterious reassignment last month to the Veterans Affairs portfolio is a dandy. But it’s not even the half of it.

It all erupted last week, when sources known to The Globe and Mail alleged that Raybould’s removal from her post was punishment for resisting pressure inexcusably exerted by the Prime Minister’s Office, to have her alter the course of criminal proceedings against the Montreal-based engineering giant SNC-Lavalin Group, in the company’s favour.

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That would be damning enough, and maybe even fatal to the Trudeau government, if it weren’t so difficult to conclusively prove. For instance: what constitutes “pressure,” exactly?

The bigger scandal is in the backstory

But the bigger scandal is in the backstory. It involves SNC-Lavalin’s lengthy rap sheet and its nasty habits, and Ottawa’s internationally notorious unseriousness in doing anything about the traffic in dirty money, in and out of Canada. It also involves gross political negligence in the House of Commons, across the board.