SNC-Lavalin affair: Trudeau expels 'whistleblower' MPs

Canada's prime minister has kicked two MPs from his party's caucus after they accused him of meddling in a criminal case involving an influential company.

Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott had already resigned from PM Justin Trudeau's cabinet citing their concerns over the SNC-Lavalin affair.

Now they have been expelled from Mr Trudeau's Liberal Party, months before a general election.

The SNC-Lavalin controversy has cast a shadow over Mr Trudeau's leadership, BBC reports.

Andrew Scheer, the leader of the opposition Conservatives, said on Tuesday that the prime minister had betrayed justice by removing two corruption whistleblowers.

Mr Trudeau repeatedly spoke about the breakdown of trust between Ms Wilson-Raybould and Ms Philpott and members of his staff.

"The trust that previously existed between these two individuals and our team has been broken," Mr Trudeau told the media shortly after informing his caucus.

"If they can't honestly say they have confidence in this team… then they cannot be part of this team."

Ms Philpott has been vocal about her concerns with the government, and gave an interview in a national magazine last month in which she said "there's much more to the story that needs to be told".

Mr Trudeau said his decision was sparked by the revelation that Ms Wilson-Raybould had secretly recorded a conversation she had with Canada's former top bureaucrat, which she released publicly on Friday.

Ms Wilson-Raybould said the tapes backed up her claim that government officials inappropriately pressured her to shield SNC-Lavalin from prosecution.