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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in a political pickle.Credit:Bloomberg

The firm,SNC-Lavalin,was accused of paying bribes to get Libyan government contracts. The deal would have allowed the firm to avoid criminal conviction. If convicted,the firm would have been banned from receiving federal contracts for a decade.

SNC-Lavalin employs thousands in Quebec,Trudeau's home province,and Wilson-Raybould said Trudeau worried about people losing those jobs.

Canada's former attorney-general Jody Wilson-Raybould appears to testify in front of Canada's House of Commons Justice Committee.Credit:AP

Jane Philpott,another senior member of team Trudeau,resigned last Monday. Gerald Butts,a top Trudeau aide,resigned last week,and hedelivered testimony on Wednesday denying he inappropriately pressured Wilson-Raybould.

Gerald Butts gave testimoney to the justice committee this week.Credit:Bloomberg

Butts,who resigned as Trudeau's principal private secretary on February 18,said he had had one short conversation on December 5 with Wilson-Raybould about SNC-Lavalin."I am firmly convinced that nothing happened here beyond the normal operations of government,"Butts told the Canadian House of Commons justice committee.

At a press conference on Thursday,Trudeau denied interfering in Canada's judicial system,and offered no apology,asserting only that lessons had been learned,Reuters reported. "There was never any inappropriate pressure,"Trudeau said."As we look back over the past weeks,there are many lessons to be learned and many things we would have liked to have done differently,"he said,adding he should have been aware Wilson-Raybould was unhappy.

The whole story is particularly scandalous because Trudeau,elected in 2015,was a media darling for years,perceived as a champion of women and Indigenous rights. Though this is arguably the first time Trudeau's golden boy status has been tarnished,the shine had faded a few times before. Below,a look at Trudeau's previous - albeit far lower stakes - scandals.

The time Trudeau explained quantum computing

In 2016,Trudeau was at a news conference at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Ontario. A reporter half-jokingly asked the prime minister to explain quantum computing. He did. The moment went viral. It then turned out that,earlier that day,he said that he'd hoped someone would ask him about quantum computing. It was staged.

The time Trudeau broke an ethics law

In December 2017,Canada's ethics commissioner ruled that Trudeau had violated ethics laws with two all-expenses-paid trips to the Bahamas. The island they visited was owned by the Aga Khan,spiritual leader of the Ismaili Muslims (and a billionaire). Trudeau and his family took an undisclosed trip to the island at the end of 2016,and his wife took another in March of that same year.

Trudeau tried to say that taking trips on a private helicopter to the island wasn't a violation of the Conflict of Interest Act because he and the Aga Khan were friends,and public officeholders can accept gifts from friends. The ethics commissioner,Mary Dawson,wasn't buying it;Trudeau and the Aga Khan had spoken once in 30 years before Trudeau became Liberal Party leader. Her report said Trudeau violated four sections of the act - the first time a sitting prime minister had done so since it became law in 2006.

The time Trudeau told a woman to say"peoplekind",not"mankind"

"Maternal love is the love that's going to change the future of mankind,"said a woman asking about laws on the charitable status of religious organisations at a February 2018 event.

"We like to say 'peoplekind,' not necessarily 'mankind,' because it's more inclusive," Trudeau replied.

People had a field day. Trudeau and his political correctness had gone too far this time! Trudeau corrected a woman! Fox News was on the case! Trudeau later apologised and said he made a"dumb joke".

The time Trudeau went to India

Going to India is not,in and of itself,scandalous. But Trudeau made a few missteps when he went there in February 2018 (a big month for Trudeau scandals).

First,there were the Trudeau family outfits,which were made fun of by locals,who said the Trudeau clan was playing"fancy dress".

Then,there was the fact that a Sikh man convicted of attempted murder of an Indian politician was invited to dine with Trudeau in New Delhi (the invitation was rescinded,but the man,Jaspal Atwal,was also seen with Trudeau's wife at a reception in Mumbai). A security report found"gaps"in the process of vetting events. And the whole thing cost more than the government initially disclosed.

The time Trudeau addressed groping allegations

Last northern summer,a reporter asked Trudeau to address allegations that he'd groped a woman at a music festival 18 years before. Trudeau said that he"did not act inappropriately"but that heapologised to the woman"in the moment"and said:"I respect the fact that someone else might have experienced this differently."

The Washington Post