Jody Wilson-Raybould resigns from Trudeau's cabinet

In a letter published on her website, the former justice minister says she has hired former Supreme Court judge Thomas Cromwell to tell her what she can say about her dealings with the prime minister on the SNC-Lavalin affair.

In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Wilson-Raybould said she is in the process of obtaining advice on the topics she is legally allowed to discuss.

Former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould has resigned from cabinet, following claims the Prime Minister's Office pressured her to help Quebec engineering firm SNC-Lavalin avoid criminal prosecution.

Wilson-Raybould was the Attorney General of Canada from November 4, 2015, until January 14, 2019 and is at the centre of the ethics investigation. It does say she will continue to serve as MP for the riding of Vancouver-Granville.

On Monday, the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, Mario Dion, agreed to a request from New Democrats to begin an investigation into the attempts by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his office to provide SNC-Lavalin with a reduced punishment stemming from serious corruption charges.

CTV News has not independently verified the story, and Trudeau has denied it. Trudeau said that he respected her citing solicitor-client privilege as the reason why she has not yet publically commented on the reported allegations that have rocked Parliament Hill.

"We spoke about our shared goals for our country and for this government", he said, adding that her "presence in cabinet should actually speak for itself".

The Conservatives issued a letter over the weekend urging Trudeau to waive that privilege so that Wilson-Raybould can clear the air on what they called "very troubling" allegations.

Wilson-Raybould was shuffled out of the justice portfolio last month, and is now the minister of veterans affairs, a move widely seen as a demotion. "Nobody has attempted to influence me", he wrote.

She thanks her staff, officials and Canadians who supported her while in cabinet.