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“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

Does, or has, the “erosion of trust” surrounding SNC-Lavalin spread right here to British Columbia


While accusations fly wildly around Ottawa, surrounding the he-said / she-said stories from Gerald Butts, Jody Wilson-Raybould, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the PMO’s office, Michael Wernick and others – around SNC-Lavalin.

ALL of this because:

... SNC-Lavalin faces charges of fraud and corruption in connection with nearly $48 million in payments made to Libyan government officials between 2001 and 2011. If convicted, the company could be blocked from competing for federal government contracts for a decade (CBC News Feb 2019).

... For 16 years the global engineering and construction giant SNC-Lavalin cultivated a close relationship with the Muammar Gaddafi family ... SNC paid Saadi Gaadafi almost $50 million in exchange for billions of dollars in airport, pipeline, and water infrastructure projects. Oh, and prisons.
(National Observer Mar 2019)

BUT there’s more to SNC-Lavalin’s troubles than just this one event:

... SNC-Lavalin's management teams have been investigated in a number of allegations under the Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act regarding contracts beginning with the SNC-Lavalin Kerala hydroelectric dam scandal (1995–2008)
(Wikipedia)

... According to a February 1, 2019, article in La Presse Quebec prosecutors were co-operating with RCMP in an investigation called Agrafe 2 on potential criminal charges against SNC-Lavalin, concerning a contract in the early 2000s to repair Montreal's Jacques Cartier Bridge

... SNC-Lavalin can’t seem to put to bed a scandal in India that has been following the company for more than a decade. The country’s Central Bureau of Investigation reiterated its claim that a contract between SNC-Lavalin and a southern Indian state to renovate three hydro dams signed in late 1997 violated government procurement norms



... scandals also surrounded SNC-Lavalin in a bribery case regarding the new hospital at McGill University Health Centre ... along with "serious design issues" in the carbon capture and storage system at SaskPowers coal-fired Boundary Dam Power Station
Proposed Pattullo Bridge replacement project

The list goes on ... including connections right here in British Columbia. 

Despite controversy surrounding SNC-Lavalin for well over three decades, a BC Government News media release just last month February 2019) announced:

$1.377 Billion Pattullo Bridge Replacement Project moves forward
Feb 14th, 2019 ... SNC-Lavalin chosen as one of three pre-qualified bidding companies from design build and long-span bridge contractor working with Acciona Infrastructure, Leonhardt, Andrä und Partner Beratende Ingenieure VBI AG, Hatch Corporation, EXP Services

SNC-Lavalin wins BC government award for Design and Contract Preparation
Feb 1st, 2019 ... SNC-Lavalin Inc. is this year’s Deputy Minister Award winner for its work on the six-laning project from Highway 33 to Edwards Road in Kelowna


And prior to this award, SNC-Lavalin was, numerous times, the recipient of multiple awards from the BC government --- including that of former BC Liberal Premier Christy Clark.

Hmmmm ... could that have anything at all to do with a reminder from CBC Vancouver Island Morning Man Gregor Craigie (@GregorCraigie ) who Tweeted:
“Worth remembering that when Clark was premier, BC Liberal party accepted $150k from #SNCLavalin chair at time (Gwyn Morgan) #bcpoli #cdnpoli”

Or maybe this, from Bob Makin, is also worth noting ....
Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s chief of staff, one of several officials that Jody Wilson-Raybould says wanted her to let SNC-Lavalin off the hook, broke British Columbia’s freedom of information law when he mass-deleted email while working as a senior aide to Christy Clark in 2017. 

It seems like no matter what country in the world --- or province in Canada, the stink of controversy follows SNC-Lavalin .... and so, does the hypocrisy.

Prime Ministers Justin Trudeau has without a doubt gone to bat for SNC Lavalin ... all in support of 9,000+ jobs). Yeah right --- in a pigs eye that’s the reason, otherwise why has there been little to no concern for the TENS of thousands of jobs lost in Alberta’s oil patch over the past 3 to 4 years. 

No, instead it’s because he knows that to win Octobers federal election, he’ll have to win nearly all federal seat in Quebec – and that means being a champion for this Quebec based company.

And of course, it’s worth noting that Trudeau’s riding of Papineau is of course also in Quebec.

That erosion of trust, in the federal government, has swept into many corners of Parliament Hill, and no matter the protests of Justin Trudeau, his staff in the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) and others --- they are all tainted with scandal surrounding SNC-Lavalin.

And as also noted in this piece, even here in BC – although it’s hard to say what influence former BC Premier Christy Clark, or her BC Liberal Party, may have had regarding contracts and awards given to SNC-Lavalin.

Tomorrow the federal government will conveniently be tabling it’s budget --- and I say conveniently because that’s also when the next meeting with be held for the Justice Committee, which is looking into the SNC-Lavalin affair.

Which one will grab the most headlines?  My bet is SNC-Lavalin.

I’m Alan Forseth, in Kamloops.  Got a thought or opinion on this?  Take a moment and share it below in the Comments Section.
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  1. WayneMarch 18, 2019 at 2:58 PM

    Whenever you hear a Liberal politician say the magic word "infrastructure," you can be sure SNC Lavalin will be cashing in. Unions love that magic word as well, so politicians keep saying it.

    ReplyDelete

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