Trudeau expels two ex-ministers from ruling party

OTTAWA, Apr 03 (Reuters): Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday sought to quell a crisis that threatens his chances of re-election, expelling from party ranks two former Cabinet members he said had undermined the ruling Liberals.

Trudeau said former Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould and former Treasury Board chief Jane Philpott would no longer be allowed to sit as Liberal legislators. They were also barred from running for the party in the federal election this October.

The Liberals have been in turmoil since Wilson-Raybould said in February that officials had inappropriately pressured her last year while she was justice minister to ensure that construction company SNC-Lavalin Group Inc escape a corruption trial.

"The trust that previously existed between these two individuals and our team has been broken," Trudeau told an emergency meeting of caucus.

"Civil wars within parties are incredibly damaging because they signal to Canadians that we care more about ourselves than we do about them," said Trudeau, 47, who took office in November 2015 and faces a tough re-election battle this autumn.

Wilson-Raybould, who tweeted news of her ouster before Trudeau's announcement, was demoted in January and resigned the next month. Philpott quit shortly afterward, saying she had lost confidence in how Trudeau was handling the matter.

"If people can't express trust in the party and the prime minister, then they need to find another political vehicle in order to advance their ideas. It's as simple as that," Justice Minister David Lametti told reporters.