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Articles on SNC-Lavalin

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Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau makes a stop in an airplane hangar during the Canadian federal election campaign in Mississauga, Ont. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Rhetoric Check: Parliament wasn’t toxic — Justin Trudeau just wants a majority

A former political insider explains that the view inside government is generally the sooner minority rule is put to bed in favour of a majority, the better. That’s why Trudeau really called an election.
Justin Trudeau used the English-language leaders’ debate to defend his actions in the SNC-Lavalin affair after being accused by Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer of interfering in the company’s court case. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Leaders’ debate: Trudeau defends efforts to save SNC-Lavalin jobs. He’s right.

There are a lot of reasons to criticize Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s handling of the SNC-Lavalin file. But on the matter of saving jobs, he got it right.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is embraced by Jody Wilson-Raybould after delivering a speech on the recognition and implementation of Indigenous rights in in the House of Commons on Feb. 14, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Trudeau’s response to the SNC-Lavalin affair shows structural misogyny in action

A firm PMO policy on respecting the political independence of the attorney general might have served Justin Trudeau better when Jody Wilson-Raybould first cautioned him against interfering in the SNC-Lavalin case.
Former SNC-Lavalin CEO Pierre Duhaime leaves a courtroom in Montreal in February 2019. Duhaime pleaded guilty in a bribe scandal around the construction of a $1.3-billion Montreal hospital. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

SNC-Lavalin: Deferred prosecution deals aren’t get-out-of-jail free cards

The SNC-Lavalin controversy has resulted in some misunderstandings and misinterpretations of the legal mechanism at its heart: Deferred prosecution agreements.
Jane Philpott and Jody Wilson-Raybould are seen during a news conference in Ottawa in June 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Justin Trudeau cabinet resignations a rarity in Canadian history

While the Wilson-Raybould/Philpott resignations are historic by the numbers, they may also prove historic in creating a new faith in federal cabinet, a previously elite and closed decision-making body.
The Padma Bridge Project in Bangladesh is seen in this February 2018 photograph. SNC-Lavalin was accused of bribing officials in the construction of the bridge, though charges were later dropped. Md Shaifuzzaman Ayon

Canada’s SNC-Lavalin decisions affect people in the world’s poorest countries

Promoting Canadian jobs is part of any government’s political mandate, but so too is the responsibility of ensuring that Canadian businesses are not supporting or condoning corruption abroad.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau holds a news conference in Ottawa to respond to allegations his office pressured former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould in the SNC-Lavalin affair. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Fred Chartrand

SNC-Lavalin & the need for fresh thinking around independence and interference

The prospect of political interference is at the heart of the SNC-Lavalin controversy. But it raises more issues related to identifying and preventing inappropriate interference.
It could be easy to scoff at Canadian laws that might have allowed SNC-Lavalin to avoid prosecution for bribery and fraud. But they’re working exactly as they should. (Shutterstock)

SNC-Lavalin: Canada’s anti-foreign bribery laws did their job

While the SNC-Lavalin scandal rages on, we should not lose sight of the importance of combating bribery crimes and enforcing the laws to prevent it.
Sir John A. Macdonald was not only Canada’s first prime minister, he was the first justice minister and attorney general. Jody Wilson-Raybould has suggested the two roles should be split. National Archives of Canada/THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Is Sir John A. Macdonald to blame for the Wilson-Raybould affair?

Sir John A. Macdonald fused the jobs of justice minister and attorney general as Canada’s first prime minister. So is he partly to blame for the SNC-Lavalin controversy?
Former SNC-Lavalin vice-president Stephane Roy leaves a Quebec courtroom after fraud and bribery charges against him were thrown out due to trial delays. Roy had been charged with bribing a foreign public official in connection with the company’s dealings with Libya. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

SNC-Lavalin case shows why we should review Canada’s foreign corruption laws

Until recently, paying a bribe or kickback to secure a contract abroad was seen as the cost of doing business in a foreign land. The SNC-Lavalin case has underscored the need to rethink the approach.
Is the SNC-Lavalin controversy truly a political scandal? If so, it’s unlike any we’ve seen before in Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is seen here in January 2019 with Jody Wilson-Raybould after she was shuffled out of her job as attorney general. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Is the SNC-Lavalin controversy truly a scandal?

A standard political scandal involves a person who did something wrong out of negligence or motivations of money, personal ambition, sex, etc. But the SNC-Lavalin affair so far lacks those elements.
Gerald Butts, principal secretary to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, is seen on April 20, 2018. Butts resigned amid allegations that the Prime Minister’s Office interfered to prevent a criminal prosecution of SNC-Lavalin. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese

The SNC-Lavalin affair and the politics of prosecution

The SNC-Lavalin affair raises fundamental questions about how decisions to prosecute are made, and what role elected politicians should have in that process – if any at all.

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