The embattled federal Liberal government has suffered another serious blow following the resignation of its Treasury Board president.
Jane Philpott announced on Monday that she would be stepping down from the position, following last week's testimony by former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould before the House of Commons justice committee.
Wilson-Raybould's testimony detailed allegations of how she had been pressured by members of the Prime Minister's Office and other government officials to cut a deal with SNC-Lavalin, a Montreal-based company that is currently facing charges of corruption and fraud related to its work in Libya. Wilson-Raybould announced her resignation from federal cabinet on February 12.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s former right-hand man, Gerald Butts, who resigned on February 18, is also set to testify before the justice committee on matters pertaining to SNC-Lavalin on Wednesday.
In a statement, Philpott said she has "lost confidence in how the government has dealt with this matter and in how it has responded to the issues raised."
"It is a fundamental doctrine of the rule of law that our Attorney General should not be subjected to political pressure or interference regarding the exercise of her prosecutorial discretion in criminal cases," she said. "I must abide by my core values, my ethical responsibilities and constitutional obligations. There can be a cost to acting on one’s principles, but there is a bigger cost to abandoning them."
Philpott said she will continue to serve as an MP in her riding of Markham-Stouffville
"Canadians need the assurance that, in all matters, Members of Parliament will act in the best interests of the public," she said. "My decision has been made with that spirit and intent."
Prime Minister Trudeau has increasingly been under fire for his handling of the issues surrounding SNC-Lavalin, but he has denied any impropriety on the part of himself or his office. He said last week that he completely disagreed Wilson-Raybould's testimony and her descriptions of events.
The leader of the Conservative Party, Andrew Scheer, has called for Trudeau's resignation along with an RCMP investigation into possible obstruction of justice.