Public Inquiry into the SNC-Lavalin Court Case

PETITION TO THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA

Whereas:
  • SNC-Lavalin (Inc) executives have faced numerous prosecutions and convictions for bribery, fraud and money laundering;
  • SNC-Lavalin recently lobbied federal government officials heavily for a deferred prosecution (or "remediation") agreement regarding a multi-million dollar criminal case against the company;
  • The Prime Minister removed Jody Wilson-Raybould as Attorney General on January 14th;
  • Wilson-Raybould resigned as Minister of Veterans Affairs amidst allegations that the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) had pressured her to assist SNC-Lavalin in avoiding criminal prosecution;
  • The Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary, Gerald Butts, subsequently also resigned on February 19th;
  • Despite the fact that constitutionally an Attorney General is the legal representative of the people of Canada, Wilson-Raybould remained subject to full solicitor-client privilege and cabinet confidentiality until OIC 2019-0105 was issued on February 25th;
  • On February 27th Wilson-Raybould testified to the House Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights that for approximately four months she had been subjected to "political interference" by various government officials; and
  • Canadians are entitled to substantive public disclosure concerning the legal and ethical significance of these events and allegations.
We, the undersigned, residents and citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to (a) completely waive all solicitor-client privilege and cabinet confidentiality, so Jody Wilson-Raybould may speak openly about the SNC-Lavalin matter; and (b) launch a public inquiry, under the Canada Inquiries Act, into whether either the Prime Minister's Office or the Prime Minister politically interfered in the court case against SNC-Lavalin.

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When a rich corporation asks for help, Justin Trudeau is ready to do everything, but when Canadians need help, they are told to wait.

Canadians deserve a government that’s on their side, a government who will stand up to the wealthy and well-connected and put their interests first. They want someone who works to make their lives better -- not someone who works hard to secure backroom deals for their friends. Yet when it comes to real action on the housing crisis, medication coverage for all or protecting workers, people are being told to wait for help while corporate insiders are given a direct line to the Prime Minister.

We knew the halls of power were rigged for wealthy and corporate insiders. What the scandal over SNC-Lavalin has revealed in detail is just how far the Liberal government has gone to put the interests of the corporate elite over Canadians.

 


The Liberal government keeps telling us how important an independent justice system is, but it all goes out of the window when it’s their friends in trouble – like SNC Lavalin.  Over the course of four month, the former attorney general sustained ongoing organized pressure from the Prime Minister and his office, the Privy Council Office and the Office of the Minister of Finance to politically interfere by granting a deferred prosecution agreement to SNC.


The Attorney General cannot be pressured by the Prime Minister. It is entirely inappropriate. How many times did the former Attorney General, Jody Wilson-Raybould, have to say no before Trudeau and his team listened? She repeatedly said no. They repeatedly ignored her and were consistent in their attempts to improperly pressure her to change her mind for their well-connected friends.

How can the Prime Minister of this country not know what’s happening in his own office’s interactions with his cabinet?

The Prime Minister’s reaction has shown a clear lack of leadership and transparency to Canadians.He continued to blame others and discredited the credible testimony from the former Attorney-General without any proof. His entire reaction was based on ‘’I didn’t know’’, yet somehow without knowing, he knows that nothing was inappropriate.

The only job Prime Minster Trudeau is worried about is his own.

The Liberals have claimed that the issue is about jobs in Québec, but don’t have any evidence to prove this. We will always stand up for jobs, but Mr. Trudeau has proven time and again that he does not. This was about his re-election.

The real erosion of trust is not happening inside the Prime Minister's office, but with Canadians.

The only way to get to the bottom of this for Canadians is through an independent public inquiry. The Prime Minister owes Canadians that much.

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