Justin Trudeau to RESIGN? Canada PM PLUNGES in polls amid major political CRISIS
JUSTIN TRUDEAU is facing a political crisis surrounding prosecution of one of Canada’s biggest companies - but could he be ready to resign?
Canada: Justin Trudeau avoids addressing if he will resign
The attorney general in Canada has independent prosecutorial discretion and should be free of any political interference.
Ms Wilson-Raybould resigned from her position in cabinet in February 2019.
In a statement on Thursday, Mr Trudeau said no inappropriate pressure had been applied to Ms Wilson-Raybould.
However, he said he should have been aware of an "erosion of trust" between the minister and his office.
Read More: Justin Trudeau crisis: Canadian prime minister ‘SHOULD be prosecuted'
He admitted he had made mistakes in his handling of the matter and that "there are lessons to be learned from this situation". But he said there was no wrongdoing in the SNC-Lavalin case.
"I can repeat and reassure Canadians that there was no breakdown of our systems, of our rule of law, of the integrity of our institutions," he said.
As he spoke to journalists in Ottawa, Mr Trudeau said Ms Wilson-Raybould had not come forward to him with her concerns over political pressure and said: “I wish she had”.
The statement came at a time when confidence in Mr Trudeau’s government was slipping according to several opinion polls.
A poll of 1,000 Canadians undertaken between March 1 and March 4 found Mr Trudeau would receive just 31 percent of the vote - down by three points from a couple of weeks ago.
Conservative party leader Andrew Scheer would receive 40 percent, according to the same survey, in a major blow for the Canadian leader.
This lead is the biggest the Conservatives have had since the previous election campaign.
Darrell Bricker, CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs said: “This is the first time we’ve actually seen the Conservative Party resuscitated and looking like they could potentially form the government.
“The Liberals, on the other hand, have been dropping precipitously over the space of the last few weeks. The question is have they hit bottom yet?”
These national approval figures echo that in Ontario - with the Conservatives at 40percent, and the Liberals nine points behind on 31 percent.
Opposition parties are continuing to apply pressure on the prime minister.
The Conservative leader said Andrew Scheer on Thursday: "The seriousness and severity of what is at stake for this country cannot be overstated."