That is how Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described the SNC-Lavalin affair — not as a breakdown of the rule of law, not as an attempt to influence the attorney general, not as political interference in the judiciary.
No, it was a misunderstanding between team members. Everyone from the PM to the head of the Privy Council thought former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould was open to granting SNC-Lavalin a remediation agreement — this, despite the fact that she told them the contrary on multiple occasions.
“I was not aware of this erosion of trust, and as prime minister and head of cabinet, I should have been aware of it,” intoned Trudeau. “Situations were experienced differently and I regret that.”