Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is under the microscope after Canada’s ethics commissioner launched an investigation into reports that his office interfered in the criminal case against SNC-Lavalin.

This comes after the Globe and Mail published a report Feb. 7 alleging officials in the Prime Minister’s Office had tried to pressure former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould to get public prosecutors to cut a deal with SNC-Lavalin to help the Montreal engineering giant avoid a criminal trial.

On Tuesday, the former justice minister also announced she was quitting the federal cabinet but did not specify why.

Here is a timeline of what Trudeau has said about the controversy.

Feb. 7

After the Globe and Mail report was published, Trudeau spoke to reporters in Vaughan, Ont., saying the allegations in the article were “false.”

“The allegations in the Globe story this morning are false. Neither the current nor the previous attorney general was every directed by me, or anyone in my office, to take any decision in this matter.”

Even when asked if there had been any broader “influence” attempts, Trudeau continued to say only that there had been no directives issued and called the allegation “false.”

“As I’ve said, at no time did we direct the attorney general, current or previous, take any decision whatsoever in this matter,” Trudeau said.

His refusal to answer questions about any broader “influence” attempts quickly sparked concerns from opposition MPs, who hammered the government in Question Period that same day.

Attorney General David Lametti took those questions, expanding the government line.

“Mr. Speaker, as the prime minister said earlier today, neither the prime minister nor his office put my predecessor or myself under pressure nor gave any directives,” he said. “These allegations contained in The Globe and Mail are false.”

Feb. 8

Trudeau was not present for Question Period in the House of Commons on Friday, but Toronto MP Arif Virani, the parliamentary secretary to Lametti, was there to take the many questions about the SNC-Lavalin controversy.

Virani repeated the assertions made by Lametti the previous day.

“Mr. Speaker, at no point has the current minister of justice or the former minister of justice been directed or pressured by the prime minister or the Prime Minister’s Office to make any decision on this or any other matter,” Virani said.

“The attorney general of Canada is the chief law officer of the Crown and provides legal advice to the government with the responsibility to act in the public interest. He takes those responsibilities very seriously.”

Feb. 11

On Monday, the federal ethics commissioner launched an investigation into the SNC-Lavalin affair.

Hours later, Trudeau was asked about the ethics probe at a media conference in Burnaby, B.C., in which the prime minister said he welcomed the investigation.

“We welcome the ethics commissioner’s investigation,” he said. “I think it’s extremely important that Canadians can continue to have confidence in our justice system.”

Trudeau added that he asked Lametti to look into the complex matter of whether the government can or should waive the solicitor-client privilege that surrounds PMO discussions with Wilson-Raybould.

The prime minister also “confirmed” a conversation the two had in the fall about the SNC-Lavalin trial.

“As I told Minister Wilson-Raybould directly in a conversation in the fall, the issue of the direction of public prosecutions is entirely a matter of her to make.”

“I respect her view that due to privilege she cannot comment or add on matters recently before the media and I highlight we’re bound by cabinet confidentiality.”

— With files from Global News’ reporter Amanda Connolly 

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