With a federal election planned for October, many are wondering how the SNC-Lavalin scandal will affect who Canadians choose to lead the country.
UPEI Political Science Professor Don Desserud says it could prove to be difficult for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, “The image that the Prime Minister has constructed for himself in the 2015 election, seems to have been undermined quite significantly. So he is going to have to find a better way of presenting himself to the elector and the electorate in the fall. I don’t think that is going to be a very easy task.”
Former Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould and MP Jane Philpott were both removed from the caucus last week.
Both will sit as independents for now.
Wilson-Raybould tweeted she will take the time to reflect and to talk to her supporters about what happens next.
Reflecting on what PM has done, my thoughts are w/ my constituents in #VanGran, my dedicated staff & volunteers, my family & friends & all Canadians who believed in a new way of doing politics. I will take the time to reflect & talk to my supporters about what happens next. (1/2)
— Jody Wilson-Raybould (@Puglaas) April 2, 2019
“Who knows what will happen between now and the then and people do get distracted and to be fair to the Prime Minister, a lot has to do, not with what goes on in his office, but how the public reacts to the leaders of the other parties. In my opinion though, it’s not looking good for the Prime Minister,” Desserud says.