Justin Trudeau became prime minister of Canada in 2015 after assuming leadership of the Liberal Party in 2013. He is the eldest child of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.

As Axios indicates, Trudeau had something of a "squeaky clean" image when he was elected. However, during his time as prime minister that image has repeatedly taken a hit. An abundance of scandals have hung over his government, both directly and indirectly involving him personally. New accusations have arisen that may prove devastating in this, an election year.

Trudeau and associates allegedly tried to interfere with a criminal prosecution

Shortly into the new year, Trudeau ordered an abrupt cabinet shuffle. It seemed to revolve around Jody Wilson-Raybould. Wilson-Raybould had been the minister of justice and attorney general. She was being re-assigned as minister of veterans affairs and associate minister of national defense. As the New York Times suggests, it was widely viewed as a demotion. But no explanation was given as to why.

Roughly a month into her new job, reports surfaced about the apparent reason for the move. It stems from the federal prosecution of the construction and engineering company, SNC-Lavalin. The company is based out of Trudeau's home city of Montreal, Quebec.

In 2015, the Canadian government charged SNC-Lavalin with taking part in corrupt practices in Libya. The case has been on-going since then.

Allegedly, Trudeau and close associates pressured Wilson-Raybould to ease up on the case. She refused, and as punishment, she was demoted. Trudeau quickly denied the claims. Among his cited proof of innocence was the fact that Wilson-Raybould stayed on in his cabinet.

However, she would resign the following day. Since then, she has retained former Canadian Supreme Court Justice Thomas Cromwell to advise her on these matters.

More recently, Trudeau's principal secretary resigned due to the allegations. Gerald Butts held the role since Trudeau became prime minister and they have been friends since attending McGill University together.

Justin Trudeau's already damaged popularity had already been struggling and this brought further negative effects. Conversely, it has bolstered Trudeau's political opponents. The biggest beneficiaries have been the Conservative Party and its leader, Andrew Scheer.

Far from the first scandal to plague Trudeau's government

The SNC-Lavalin case marks the fifth time Trudeau's cabinet has faced an official ethics investigation. Trudeau himself has been found guilty in the past. In 2017, he was found to have violated the Conflict of Interest Act four times.

Other incidents haven't sparked official investigations, but have been otherwise highly problematic. One such incident was the scandal surrounding Hunter Tootoo.

Tootoo had been the minister of fisheries, oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard. In 2016, he abruptly resigned and began treatment for alcohol addiction. Months later, further details were revealed.

Tootoo had been having an inappropriate relationship with a staffer. He decided to break off the relationship - in favor of pursuing one with the staffer's mother. Apparently influenced by alcohol herself, the staffer proceeded to vandalize Tootoo's government office.

It is unclear how the Liberal Party and Trudeau may fare in the federal election later this year. However, the Liberal Party has been rocked at the provincial level since his elevation to prime minister.
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