Another member of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau�s Cabinet resigned Monday over a scandal that has shaken the government in an election year.

Treasury Board president Jane Philpott, considered a star minister, said in a resignation letter that it was �untenable� for her to continue in the Cabinet because she could not defend the government.

Philpott�s friend, former Attorney General and Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, testified last week that Trudeau and senior members of his government inappropriately tried to pressure her to avoid prosecution of a major Canadian engineering company in a case involving allegations of corruption in Libya.

Wilson-Raybould resigned from Cabinet last month after being demoted to veteran affairs minister the month before.

The scandal has rocked Trudeau�s government. Gerald Butts, his closet adviser and best friend, resigned last month and is scheduled to testify Wednesday before a Parliament justice committee in Trudeau�s defense.

Trudeau has acknowledged raising the issue with Wilson-Raybould, but has said that was appropriate.

Philpott sided with Wilson-Raybould over Trudeau over the matter.

�I have been considering the events that have shaken the federal government in recent weeks and after serious reflection, I have concluded that I must resign as a member of Cabinet,� Philpott wrote. �Sadly, I have lost confidence in how the government has dealt with this matter and in how it has responded to the issues raised.�

Philpott is a former minister of health and minister of indigenous services and was widely viewed as of one of Trudeau�s most competent Cabinet ministers.

�Unfortunately, the evidence of efforts by politicians and/or officials to pressure the former Attorney General to intervene in the criminal case involving SNC-Lavalin, and the evidence as to the content of those efforts have raised serious concerns for me,� Philpott wrote.

�I must abide by my core values, my ethical responsibilities and constitutional obligations. There can be a cost to acting on one�s principles, but there is a bigger cost to abandoning them.�

Philpott said she would continue as a Parliament member for Trudeau�s Liberal Party.

Wilson-Raybould said the same but last week declined to say she had confidence in Trudeau. Trudeau said earlier Monday he was still deciding whether Wilson-Raybould could remain a member of his party in Parliament.

The leader of the opposition Conservative Party, Andrew Scheer, tweeted that the second resignation demonstrates �Justin Trudeau�s government is in chaos.� He called again for Trudeau to resign and for a police investigation of the affair.

If convicted criminally, the Montreal-based company would be banned from receiving any federal government business for a decade. SNC-Lavalin is an economic force in Canada, with 9,000 employees in the country and about 50,000 worldwide.

Liberal lawmaker Celina Caesar-Chavannes, who announced last week that she won�t seek re-election, tweeted her support for Philpott and thanked her. She did the same for Wilson-Raybould last week.

�When you add women, please do not expect the status quo. Expect us to make correct decisions, stand for what is right and exit when values are compromised,� she tweeted.

(AP)