By the end of the Liberals’ first term, in 2019, Justin Trudeau’s public image had been tarnished by a series of missteps and controversies. The prime minister faced controversy over a late-2016 holiday on the Aga Khan’s private Caribbean island, violating federal ethics laws. In 2018, his India trip drew criticism for Bollywood-like attire and the inclusion of Jaspal Atwal, a convicted attempted murderer, at a dinner reception. Then came the blackface scandal: during the 2019 election, Time published a 2001 photo of Trudeau in blackface at an Arabian Nights gala, a humiliating revelation that made international headlines.
None of these incidents, however, was as damaging as what would become known as the SNC-Lavalin affair. On February 7, 2019, the Globe and Mail reported that Trudeau and his staff had inappropriately pressured former justice minister and attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould to defer the criminal prosecution of Quebec-based engineering giant SNC-Lavalin, which was facing fraud and corruption charges related to nearly $48 million in payments made to the Libyan government. Testifying before the House of Commons justice committee later that month, Wilson-Raybould said she’d experienced “veiled threats” and “a consistent and sustained effort” by senior government officials seeking to convince her to interfere in an independent criminal prosecution.
