Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reportedly says he is disappointed by the decision of a second member of his Cabinet Jane Philpott, who resigned on Monday. However, he noted that he understands why Philpott has left.
“Concerns of this nature must be taken seriously and I can ensure you that I am,” said Trudeau, according to Reuters. The Canadian Prime Minister also thanked her for serving in his Cabinet.
Jane Philpott resigned earlier on Monday, saying that she had lost confidence in how the government had dealt with the SNC-Lavalin Group scandal.
“Sadly, I have lost confidence in how the government has dealt with this matter and in how it has responded to the issues raised,” said Philpott in an official statement.
It grieves me to resign from a portfolio where I was at work to deliver an important mandate. I must abide by my core values, my ethical responsibilities, constitutional obligations. There can be a cost to acting on one’s principles, but there is a bigger cost to abandoning them. pic.twitter.com/EwO5dtdgG6
— Jane Philpott (@janephilpott) 4 марта 2019 г.
Previously, Andrew Scheer, the main opposition leader and chairman of the Conservative Party of Canada, urged Justin Trudeau to quit the office amid accusations of alleged political interference into the SNC-Lavalin case. Trudeau, in turn, said that he “definitely does not agree” with the testimony of Wilson-Raybould that she faced “constant pressure” and “hidden threats” from his office.
SNC-Lavalin, the Canadian engineering giant, is facing accusations that its former executives paid millions of dollars in bribes to win contracts in Libya under Muammar Gaddafi’s rule, which collapsed in 2011. In particular, the company is accused of paying nearly $48 million to public officials in Libya between 2001 and 2011 to influence government decisions.