SNC Lavalin lobbyist met with BC MLA’s last year…just as trials were underway back east.

Posted on by Laila

**updated below**

 

Long time readers know well my interest in public projects in BC, and the many complaints made by insiders in the industry about ‘ irregular bidding practices’ on many projects. I’ve followed SNC Lavalin through several projects with interest and detailed how SNC employees have gone onto work in the BC government, and how BC govt employees from the transportation ministry have gone onto work for SNC Lavalin.

Which is why, when the allegations of the PMO’s office pressuring Judy Wilson-Raybould to interfere in the SNC Lavalin case became public, my ears perked up and I did a bit of looking around to see what I could see..and sure enough SNC had been trying to drum up business here in BC while this trial played out in Quebec.

On November 1st 2018, SNC Lavalins ceo spoke to the press trying to ease concerns over the trial.

On November 14th 2018, in the midst of the trial back east, a lobbyist registered here in BC, on behalf of SNC Lavalin,  to “Arrange a series of meetings with BC Government officials and SNC Lavalin representatives to provide an understanding of the professional capabilities and expertise in the area designing, engineering, and construction of oil and gas projects.”

That lobbyist was Richard Prokopanko,  former Rio Tinto Alcan rep who made the news back in 2012 for getting a free ride on ‘Air Christy’ https://thetyee.ca/News/2012/03/02/Air-Christy/  

(Of note, although the registration was November 14th, the undertaking date for lobbying activities was posted as November 6th)

So who did Prokopanko meet with? See below.

Screenshot 2019-02-13 at 9.46.38 AM

Now..  of course SNC Lavalin, faced with woes far and wide, is going to try and drum up some business with the new government-dear God, please don’t go down this road gain!

But considering that Rich Coleman is basically a big nothing burger in the Opposition ranks now, why did SNC Lavalin meet with him, and what did they talk about? He has no sway now…or does he?

Oh to be a fly on the wall of those meetings and I do hope an enterprising reporter does an FOI on that or at least questions what occurred and what was said…particularly at the meeting with Rich Coleman. ( Perhaps they are friends? Rich Coleman was on that Air Christy flight with Prokopanko,referenced above, too)

I hope every NDP mla will share what Propopanko wanted to sell…and if further meetings with SNC representatives occurred. After all, SNC has a long history in BC.

SNC business in BC

With the revelations in the bribery trial back east, it’s often surprised me that reporters haven’t looked harder at what work SNC has done here, just out of curiosity if nothing else.

The connection between SNC Lavalin and its subsidiaries that have been involved in BC projects was very strong and close under the BC Liberal government, and often did raise questions, most unanswered due to lack of transparency, and lack of ability for most reporters to know even what to ask.

  1. The BC Ferries, renewable contract with SNC Lavalin that the public still has no details on: https://lailayuile.com/2013/02/19/snc-lavalin-contract-with-bc-ferries-raised-questions-in-2012-so-why-is-the-public-still-in-the-dark-nearly-a-year-later/
  2. 90% of SNC’s transportation divisions activities were in BC under the Campbell era, many listed here, and many riddled with questions and controversy:  https://lailayuile.com/2012/03/04/moral-hazard-is-when-they-take-your-money-and-then-are-not-responsible-for-what-they-do-with-it-gordon-gekko/
  3. Former Premier Christy Clark chose  former SNC Chairman Gwyn Morgan as her transition adviser...while he was still chairman of SNC Lavalin….and while SNC had ongoing projects and bids with the government at the time.
  4. BC govt employees have gone onto work at SNC and SNC employees have gone to work for govt. ( this kind of thing is not uncommon in several ministries but it does raise questions of conflict and inside information. )

And I could go on for days – SNC Lavalin also manage to get the lead design for Site C, a project under fire for direct award bids that should have gone to tender instead.

 

Corruption? There ain’t no corruption going on!

One thing that I again found compelling while going through these older posts, was a link I had inserted from 2011, when Pierrie Duhaime screamed loudly that Quebec DID NOT need a corruption inquiry. He was in fact adamant about it and I knew then that there was a lot he was worried about… and it reminded me of the people opposing a public inquiry in BC right now:

“The head of engineering giant SNC-Lavalin said Monday a report on alleged corruption in Quebec’s construction industry raises “troubling” issues, but not enough to warrant a public inquiry. Pierre Duhaime said the report by former Montreal police chief Jacques Duchesneau was very broad and didn’t substantiate allegations that have shaken the industry for nearly three years.

“What is surprising is that the report touches so many areas with so few facts. It surprised me to see a report with so little substance but so many allusions,” he said after speaking to the Canadian Club of Montreal.

Duhaime didn’t want to question the author’s credibility, but said most of the information came from anonymous sources.

He said the measures taken by the Quebec government were sufficient to counter corruption.

~snip~

Premier Jean Charest has refused to call a public inquiry even though the report alleged ties among the province’s construction industry, its political parties and organized crime.

The report prepared by a Charest-appointed anti-collusion task force was leaked to media outlets last week.

It says a corrupt and weak civil service has allowed construction companies to drive up the price of public-works contracts in Quebec.

It suggests that last year alone there was a $347-million difference between original contract amounts and the final price tags.

At the end of the process, the report says, some of the companies’ profits are plowed into the coffers of political parties.

Perhaps the most explosive allegations revolve around ties between construction companies, the Mafia and criminal biker gangs.

It says the criminals act as enforcers for friendly construction companies, preventing rival firms from getting work done with threats or by pulling strings to create red tape.

Oh that outrage from Duhaime about there being no corruption didn’t age well, did it?    Because he just ” pleaded guilty to a charge of helping a public servant commit breach of trust for his role in a bribery scandal around the construction of a $1.3-billion Montreal hospital. ”

Former SNC Lavalin CEO Pierre Duhaime pleads guilty for role in hospital bribery

But wow…does that quoted article sound like BC or what? Donations. Bids. Overpriced projects….

Why does all this matter? 

Over years of research into specific public projects in BC, some of which was picked up by media outlets, I talked to a lot of industry insiders and heard a lot of allegations. Some of the people I spoke to took the time to teach me where and what to look for, and how to know what was standard business practice or something more unethical.

Some of those stories resulted in some of the most popular posts on my Best Of page, others that could not be proven by FOI ( records not found) were not written. But as we know, the last government had a strong record of not only deleting records, but of failing to document as well. ( see Rich Colemans statement ” I don’t deal in paper” )  Just because an FOI doesn’t result in records, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. And like many other stories breaking now in the money laundering file, no one wanted to go on record. 

Some of what was discovered was disturbing enough that I was relieved when the Ministry of Public Safety expanded their corruption probe into Quebecs industry, to include BC… and when it was complete, I requested a copy by FOI, and it was just emailed to me immediately without having to go through the process. And like the report Pierrie Duhaime said was just a bunch of unsubstantiated stuff from anonymous sources,we know now, that those anonymous sources were right.  And I must bring this up again because any judicial inquiry in BC must not be limited to money laundering and gaming.. it must go much further.

An inquiry – which must have subpoena powers – isn’t about calling international crooks to testify- that is never going to happen. It’s about the domestic government and institutional failures that allowed this all to happen. Who. Why. When. Where and How can we prevent this from ever happening again. Journalism basics practiced on a judicial level.  And contrary to what Horgan said yesterday, it can’t all be chalked up to incompetence – he should talk to Pierre Duhaime about the consequences of willful blindness....

 

No one denied anything…because no one wanted to talk about it. 

 

I’m going to leave you with some excerpts from that Public Safety Report into corruption in construction in BC, because if I didn’t it would be a missed opportunity.  If you’ve seen it before, just go have coffee or back to work. If you haven’t, think about what happened in Quebec…and why everyone is so damn naive to think it didn’t or isn’t happening here in BC too.

Imagine that. So few of the people or organisations contacted wanted to talk about this issue of corruption in commercial construction – and by association of public sector projects, the government –  that it made it difficult to get a firm vision of what is going on. In fact, the report relied on many anonymous sources in some instances to get the information needed to make an assessment.In spite of this aura of reluctance and opposition to prying questions, the report did manage to uncover some revealing ways our public projects are at risk for corruption… and the way our government makes this possible.

~snip~

  • Investigators found that the most vulnerable aspect of the commercial construction process, including public projects, was the procurement process (bid process) and project management. Sources indicated officials responsible for procurement were often uninformed about the cost of construction project costs and the lack of accountability and transparency in the bidding process across Canada was noted.
  • Investigators found many factors that contributed to an environment where bribery and fraud flourished and were nearly impossible to detect,including the large scale of public projects,the uniqueness and complexity of projects,the concealment of some items of work by others, the lack of transparency in the industry and the extent of government involvement.
  • Situations that facilitate the formation of construction cartels and bribery, included the size of the project. Some projects like dams, power plants and highways that are extremely large in nature and costly,making it easier to hide bribes and over inflated  claims. It was also noted these larger projects often have a limited number of bidders, and those bidders are often well known to public officials and other bidders, again facilitating bribes and cartels.  ( Cartels are groups of businesses that operate together to lessen competition on jobs,often dividing projects into specific area of bidding for certain companies. It has been rumoured this is occurring on some big projects in BC, and other jurisdictions are cracking down on it, asking for whistleblowers to come forward )
  • Lack of transparency – costs are often kept secret even when public money is being spent. Commercial confidentiality takes precedent over public interest, and publication of financial information and routine inspection of books and records which could uncover irregularities or prevent them, does not take place. ( in the case of the Sea to Sky highway project, companies participating in the project had to sign confidentiality agreements preventing them from talking about their involvement in the project in some cases, for up to 7 years, as you can read in the Sea to Sky shadow toll series on the Best Of page at the top of my site – Laila)
  • The extent of government involvement– There is significant government involvement in public projects. Even private sector projects require government approval at different levels. the power wielded by government officials in every stage of the construction process,when combined with the structural and financial complexity of these projects, makes it quite easy for unscrupulous government officials to extract large bribes from those undertaking the projects.
  • The impact of corruption in projects goes beyond bribes and fraud, to poor-quality construction and low funding for maintenance. Because much of the infrastructure is hidden behind concrete or brick, builders can cut costs, bribe inspectors to approve sub-standard construction leading to poor quality construction.  ( In Quebec, years of this kind of construction on public infrastructure is creating a problem for the province, with crumbling bridges and overpasses that need extensive rehabilitation. Will we see the same thing happen here in British Columbia with some of our major transportation and infrastructure projects? Certainly many projects have already shown evidence of substandard quality, via the expansion joints on the William R Bennett bridge in Kelowna, and the ever collapsing retaining wall on Lougheed, part of the Port Mann project and more recently the sea to sky retaining walls where unapproved substandard rebar was used. – Laila)
  • Sources in British Columbia indicated that government officials responsible for the procurement process ( tender and bidding process) lack the required experience in relation to the commercial construction process. Many who did have the experience retired or moved onto the private sector. Government officials often failed to follow their own procurement policies. ( I have explored this in detail on a previous post, where a source revealed to me that often, the officials in charge of a project will rely on employees of a bidding company for direction, via hiring them as a consultant in the process. Fairness reviewers deemed with examining the bid process for fairness, are often seen as being in a perceived conflict via work with the government on other projects- Laila)

It is simply not acceptable, nor is it in the public interest, to allow often incompetent, and more often unethical business practices to continue within the B.C. government. It absolutely must stop.

In 2010, in following final ruling of the decade long Tercon vs. British Columbia court case, I said the following:

“.. What is needed is a full and independent inquiry into the actions of the government then, and now, to reveal the truth of what is going on in that portfolio. If the government intends to stand by its claim of administering an honest and open government with integrity, let it start with the Basi-Virk trial upon our doorstep, and end with the Tercon Judgement. The integrity of the entire bidding process, the future of local industry in our province, and what little faith we may have remaining in our elected officials, depends on it.”

That was 2010. As we know, the Basi-Virk trial was shut down faster than a bear trap snaps its victim, and while Vaughn Palmer picked up the Tercon story, the government denied and ignored any lingering questions.

I say now, that this report bolsters and supports my repeated calls for a full investigation  and public inquiry into the public procurement process within all ministries of the government of British Columbia, and the sooner the better.

To do anything other, is to condone corruption within government by our elected officials -a concept which should have never been tolerable in the first place.

 

UPDATE:

Two new bits of news today that will leave you shaking your head, discussion ongoing in the comments on this too:

1) SNC Lavalin & Kiewit among qualified bidders for Patullo bridge replacement

https://globalnews.ca/news/4963183/pattullo-bridge-replacement-bids/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

2) SNC Lavalin subject of  new criminal probe in bridge project.

https://business.financialpost.com/news/snc-lavalin-faces-criminal-probe-over-montreal-bridge-contract-documents-reveal/amp?__twitter_impression=true

Gee. I guess corruption trials and criminal probes dont bother the BC govt crew in the Ministry of Transportation…..

 

122 thoughts on “SNC Lavalin lobbyist met with BC MLA’s last year…just as trials were underway back east.”

  1. Canada is falling behind in fighting foreign and domestic corruption: http://www.transparencycanada.ca/news/canada-falls-behind-fighting-foreign-bribery/?

    ” “This is the second report this year that highlights Canada’s poor performance in upholding global anti-corruption obligations”, said Transparency International Canada Executive Director, Alesia Nahirny. Ms. Nahirny referred to the 2018 TI report ‘Leaders or Laggards’ that placed Canada at the bottom of G20 members adhering to the 2014 principles on beneficial ownership transparency.

    “We’ve fallen behind and need to play catch up on a number of anti-corruption fronts. Canadians want us to be leaders with respect to the fight against corruption at home and abroad and we can no longer rest only on our good reputation. The inadequacies in our enforcement system can no longer be ignored,” said Ms. Nahirny.

    In Canada, systemic challenges, including insufficient coordination between investigators and prosecutors and a slow mutual legal assistance process, continue to play a role in the overall insufficient enforcement of white-collar crimes in Canada. There is also a lack of clear processes for voluntary disclosure of potential offences by companies, something which may be remedied by the proposed Remediation Agreement Regime.

    “This ranking isn’t just bad for Canada’s international standing, but it’s further evidence that Canada is not looking at fighting corruption holistically as part of our foreign policy including international development and security”, said James Cohen, Director, Programmes and Engagement at TI Canada.

    If Canada is truly committed to fighting corruption, it must do much better. We must improve CFPOA enforcement to demonstrate that Canada is serious about corruption. To begin, we need to fix longstanding structural issues with our various law enforcement agencies, adequately fund agencies responsible for enforcement, and clarify procedures for companies seeking to right wrongs and to encourage voluntary disclosures.”

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      1. Parliamentary privilege. Their lawyers pretty much knew he would claim it and didnt challenge.

        Damn shame, considering what that email said. And Rich being a former cop too. Go figure.

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  7. Prosecution Deferral Agreements made between Government and corporations is a criminal act in itself. Really, it’s complicity between the crooked and our employee the government. A fine can be given instead of prosecution by institutionalized collusion between the two. WTF !! The lowlifes even write it into a legal agreement among our regular laws. Scumbags and rat’s the the lot. What do we call this shit. Corruption legalized and set up by design by government hierarchy. Plain and simple. To big to prosecute. Piece of shit arrogant politicians who lost their obligation and oaths of who they work for. And listening to the other political party’s jumping on this is of course is typical. They are just as corrupt scummy as the one’s they complain about and would do the same to us and Canadian’s when they are in power. I’m finished now. Have a great day Laila.

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    1. Scheer met with SNC so hes looking a fool too. https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2019/02/10/tory-leader-andrew-scheer-met-with-snc-chief-to-discuss-criminal-charges.html

      It’s all quite insane and it speaks to why the public loses faith and becomes cynical of all politicians. They need to get to the bottom of this and blocking efforts only makes it look worse.

      I really dont think its too big to tackle though and it’s important federally and provincial to crack down on this crap.

      A good read here. https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5015337?__twitter_impression=true

      A member of the Charbonneau commission, which found widespread corruption in the awarding of government contracts in Quebec and in the province’s construction industry, says a public inquiry into money laundering in B.C. would be well worth the cost.

      Yes, it costs money. Yes, it needs courage,” Tremblay told Michelle Eliot, host of CBC’s BC Today. “But once it’s done, the society is just way better, as we have seen in Quebec.”

      Tremblay said the reforms instituted in Quebec in response to the Charbonneau commission’s 60 recommendations constituted a “180-degree turn,” and that municipalities and the province have more than recouped the cost of the inquiry in repayment deals and savings.

      The Charbonneau commission heard from 291 witnesses over 261 days of testimony, generating 66,000 pages of transcripts. It cost $40-$44 million, Tremblay said.

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  9. I worked for a private sector company that was purchased by SNC.
    I had over 20 years senority and 4 weeks holidays.
    I lasted 1 year in the new SNC “environment”..
    They dont care about the customer.
    Its all about “billable hours”.
    Invoices to suppliers languished in their accounting dept for weeks if not months.
    Staff quit constantly to be replaced by untrained, young sheep theta would work for 6-8 months until the quit.
    The roll over rate at SNC is mind boggling
    An absolutely repulsive work environment.
    Stupidity protected by bureaucracy.
    The only thing more frightening than SNC is the fact that they actually did govt work cheaper than the sloths in govt??????
    As the SNC corruption scandals began to pile up in the latter part of the first decade of this Millenium , the company “solution” was to have every employee sign a “conflict of interest” statement…..every 6 months.
    I found that the most degrading, exercise in futility
    ( Hello? Do you really think liars and cheats will admit they are breaking company rules by signing a stupid form? Apparently the leadership didnt have to sign those forms……an absolute joke.)
    I think the World Bank 10 year ban for SNC Lavalin corruption scandals in Malaysia was the impetus behind the “I promise not to lie , cheat or steal” forms we were all required to sign

    I quietly moved my pension plan to a registered financial advisor.
    I saved my vacation time.
    I maxxed out my overtime ( because SNC couldnt find anyone to replace me….).
    Then i walked in and quit.
    2 days later my co worker in another area of the company quit. Neither of us had planned it we both had enough of their inept Bullshit.
    Within two years, 85% of the workers vested over in the SNC company purchase had moved on.
    They hated SNC.

    Google SNC ex-employees.
    Usually good for a laugh.

    I fully expect if SNC Lavalin is convicted and banned for 10 years from any Federal contracts……they will merge with another engineering /logistics firm …dump their name and be back in business within the week.

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    1. I’m sorry to hear of your experience but not surprised.

      I called a former SNC boss when the expansion joints went on the William R. Bennett bridge after getting info from an industry contact on why that happened. I asked him how much the govt’s performance bonus was and had it been worth it to botch the job purposefully to get it? Silence. I asked again and he got mad, yelled ‘Who are you?’into the phone. I had identified myself when he answered but ai guess he didnt pay attention. I then asked how much of the bonus was left over after warranty repairs where done.

      He hung up. But not once did he deny what I was saying. 😉

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      2. Yes the global World Bank ban on SNC-Lavalin to exclude them from any World Bank subsidized project was for 10 years.

        Unless I’ve mis-remembered a later aspect of the the scandal’s aftermath, when the Christy Clark government was challenged for hiring SNC for a construction mega-project here, the apparent scandal was poofed away when it was pointed out that (magically?) the World Bank had reduced SNC-Lavalin’s sentence to :”only” 8 years.

        Therefore? The company had served its time in financial Limbo, promises, meditation and inactivity had cleansed all its sins, its virtue was restored more or less. Unless another scandal emerged, it had been exonerated, and therefore merited unfettered access to more provincial loot.

        Using the same Sunny Ways and hope-springs-eternal logic surely SNC bridge work in Montreal would be done to the highest standards of, honesty, integrity and be blameless. Nothwithstanding the Charbonneau Commission findings about construction project criminality, no way SNC could risk offering bribes to grease construction contracts. It would never be allowed. Such a scandal would cost the company ten more years of profit. Or perhaps eight.

        Unless… behind the scenes the company imagined it was too big (in Quebec) to fear government intervention?

        And why would any federal Liberal MP or high ranking minion attempt to intimidate and applaud the demotion of Jody Wilson-Rayboult? Why take any risk of public blowback whatsoever – like hiding a get-out-of-court-with-a-trivial-fine plea bargain within an omnibus bill?

        In Macleans Magazine Paul Wells notes the following…

        https://www.macleans.ca/politics/ottawa/canada-the-show/

        “I have here, open on my browser on neighbouring tabs, six columns from six different Montreal-based news organizations arguing, in so many words, that the alternative to giving SNC a Deferred Prosecution Agreement is economic chaos. All published today, Tuesday. The Journal de Montréal predicts “catstrophe.” L’actualité says “thousands of jobs” are at risk. “Why the hesitation?” asks Radio-Canada. “Must we destroy the company?” asks the best legal columnist at La Presse. “Who would benefit” from the end of SNC, “if not other big Canadian companies like Toronto’s Aecon, whose acquisition by a Chinese company Ottawa just blocked?” asks Le Devoir‘s man. “What good” would condemning SNC to “a likely death” achieve, wonders The Gazette‘s op-ed writer.”

        Meanwhile our Prime Minister insists that his A.G.’s demotion and self-expulsion had nothing whatsoever to do with um, Political Considerations.

        As to allowing certain angry Liberals to smear Ms Wilson-Raybould immediately prior to a federal election and today’s obvious throttling of a Judicial Committee request to ask Ms.Wilson-Raybould to testify? Is this a small risk compared to the haemorrhaging of Liberal votes in NDP Alberta, Tory Ontario, and dithering BC?

        Lose Quebec as well? Mr Trudeau becomes another of History’s also-rans. So be reasonable. How could all this (in combination with more charges pending in Quebec against SNC) create and sustain a Conflict of Interest and undermine the credibility of the entire Liberal brand, starting at the top?

        Please advise…

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        1. Your comments kill me….😂

          The bastardization of democracy continues as corporate interests and power brokers pull strings of elected officials.

          I couldnt stand Harper and his old stock Canadians schtick. But I don’t believe Trudeau for one second. His tells give him away.

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  10. I must say I am completely enjoying watching Trudeau twist in the wind for his PMO’s office

    ( “if she had a problem she should have come and talked to meeee”…..Riiiiiight and only if the PMO’s staffer’s would allow it.)

    trying to pressure Ms Raybould to let SNC off the hook.

    Hopefully this entire fiasco will explode in Trudeau’s face come election time as well as SNC come the trial.

    These pricks deserve everything thats coming.

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  14. Vaughn Palmer “……..shocking interference.”
    Really?

    Not the least bit shocking to anyone who has been awake and not willfully blind the past several years.

    Shocking is the fact Mr. Palmer is actually saying something against the Liberals. Is there a band wagon to be jumped on here Vaughn?

    This IPP stuff seeing the light of day now, makes me wonder if we are not getting some whistleblower action on this file. I can fantasize, no?

    Wouldn’t it be nice if the Plecas factor flushes out all the silenced servants who have been quietly keeping notes on all the criminality. Maybe Mr. Horgan knows something we don’t? Or is that another fantasy?

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  15. The BC Liberal IPP rip-off of BC Hydro thing has been known since before 2007. This is not news.

    The other issue is that part of the stated need for the $10 billion Site C dam is to provide back up capacity for all the intermittent IPP power.

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    1. That’s what Mungall is saying now, but none of them said it before they approved site c. Their line was that it wasnt needed.

      And nope. Not news. At one point BC was paying Ipps ( and probably still are) to NOT produce electricity.https://vancouversun.com/news/politics/b-c-hydro-spent-17-5-million-to-not-buy-power

      On top of this, the bc govt gives a cheaper rate to certain corporate customers who pay less than we do.

      It was known before the election they couldnt get out of these contracts and would have to renegotiate.This just confirms what Rafe and Norm Farrell had been saying all along.

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      2. What is just as disturbing to me is the number of (most of) friends, family and complete strangers who are almost entirely, uneducated about any of this, other than maybe ‘yeah, I saw something about that.”

        Don’t know what IPP stands for or what run of river is, never mind deferred debt.

        “Too busy” is a common response.

        If only I could start an action against the BC Liberal Party or individuals within it. I’m a victim of fraud and Christy wears a pink shirt.

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        1. I learned long ago the general public tends to only care if it impacts them directly…and sadly even when explained concisely, this is one of those issues along with p3 contractual obligations,deferred accounts etc. This brief outrage will too pass as the news cycle continues its endless grind.

          None of these issues will truly hurt home until Hydro rates increase and then the NDP will have a very hard time explaining why they continued with site c knowing full well those contracts were locked in. Mungall and her intermittent power spiel is gag worthy considering she was the biggest cheerleader for stopping the dam. Even stuck with those ipps we dont need site c which is quite possibly a con as big as big as these ipps.

          Public inquiry please.

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        2. The irony is, they are directly impacted, every time they flick a light switch, every time they get a rock chipped windshield, every time they….. Arrrrgh!

          Other than the Meggs factor, I don’t understand why Mr. Horgan doesn’t just let ‘er rip, with a mea culpa if needed and take the high road. The longer he waits, the more he will look like he was forced into an inquiry against his will.

          A “let’s do this thing” with results, could possibly ensure him re-election, through a couple of cycles. Otherwise, a rebranded right coalition, puts us right back where it all began. Joy to the world.

          How the hell can we, who have been paying attention, initiate a corruption inquiry?
          Brad, Christine? Sandy?

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  16. “When I see that (ratepayers) are paying an extra $200 a year for this scheme, for a total of $16.2 billion, a scheme where 80 per cent of that money is going outside of the province … not only is this a big huge boondoggle, but it’s just scandalous,” said Mungall. “It’s unacceptable.”

    The IPP contracts are often for 30 years, with terms that could cost Hydro even more if the corporation tried to break free of them to stem its financial losses, Davidson wrote in the report. Three IPP contracts are almost 60 years in length.

    “We can’t break them,” said Mungall. “We’re going to have to renegotiate them when we can. And I don’t think it’s appropriate for ratepayers to be paying anything more than market value for this. … Market value has been $25 per megawatt hour and we’ve been paying over $100 in some cases. That’s a $75 discrepancy.”

    The IPP contracts contain terms to protect against inflation, which Davidson wrote “could potentially add another $1 billion to the cost estimate over the next 20 years” plus another $7 billion for the longest-term contracts.

    “Government directed B.C. Hydro to purchase 8,500 GWh of firm energy B.C. Hydro did not need,” Davidson wrote.

    https://vancouversun.com/news/politics/b-c-hydros-private-power-projects-wasting-billions-says-new-report

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  17. And then along comes the next bunch of filthy hypocrites and crooks, just like the dirty bunch before them. The BC Liberals massacred us with the dirty IPP deals. Then the dirtbag dealers Horgan and slimy back stabber and hypocrite ass kisser Minister Mungal screws us with Site C and gives us ratepayers more future burdens. Both partys bowing in with their own sets of special interests. Dirty sleazy politicians. Gee i’m not sounding too cynical am I.

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  18. So we need inquiries into the Fed. Govt and SNC Lavalin, BC Hydro, ICBC, money-laundering, real estate, fentanyl, Legislature spending – what did I miss? What a fricken mess. Good grief.

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    1. Let the feds sort their own mess out.

      Here in BC, one commission will handle it all.

      -it must not be limited in scope. Corruption is corruption.
      -it must be a judicial inquiry with powers of subpoena to force testimony. Critical point.
      -it must be independent of the rcmp for obvious reasons.

      I know that Horgan doesn’t want to do this and it speaks to character. It’s so clear to so many it needs to be done, as Tremblay states it’s so much better now, public confidence is being restored. Send a message to everyone that there is zero tolerance for corruption in casinos, in government and in public projects.

      It’s my hope more whistleblowers come forward and either contact Plecas or Sam Cooper or Integrity BC. All safe in my opinion.

      Like

      2. We need to really give Hogan a blasting every time he gives us his bullshit about the expense and slowness and negatives about an inquiry. Blah Blah Blah. That’s the talk of a weak leader. He constantly insults our intelligence as if there’s just one kind of inquiry that suits his cowardly leadership skills. Pathetic. Where do these political pinheads come from.

        Like

  19. Let us not forget, that Lavalin hold the engineering patents for the proprietary SkyTrain system. SNC Lavalion inherited the patents from Lavalin, when it went into receivership during the time it tried to sell the newly purchased ICTS/ALRT(from the now defunct UTDC) to Bangkok, Thailand.

    SNC sold the technical patents to Bombardier because they were not in the business to build cars.

    Rich Coleman wanted to end his career to be Mayor of Surrey, but the casino scandal hung over his head like the Sword of Damocles, so he had his proxy run, former Mayor McCallum. part of McCallum’ s re-election platform was to not build the long planned for LRT and build with the now considered obsolete SkyTrain system, which SNC Lavalin tend to make a lot of money building.

    Geoff Meggs is a former Vision Vancouver Councillor and a big, big booster of the now estimated to cost , $3.5 billion Broadway subway. Geoff Meggs is Horgan’s chief advisor.

    Both SkyTrain projects in BC will be over $5 billion, most of it paid to engineering firms or just one engineering firm.

    The Broadway subway is being built on a route with traffic flows 11,000 pphpd less than the Canadian standard for building a subway. In fact, SkyTrain was designed to mitigate the high cost of subway construction.

    It should be noted that TransLink now refutes the claim that “Broadway was the most heavily used transit route in Canada”; they now claim “This is our region’s most overcrowded bus route.”

    Jim Burke, the former Executive Vice President for SNC Lavalin in B.C, has been working on a due diligence panel set-up to oversee business case development for infrastructure, including the Broadway Subway.

    SNC Lavalin will make a lot of money on subway construction, especially using a proprietary railway that they own the engineering patents for.

    Vancouver is now the only city of the seven that built with often renamed SkyTrain system (ICTS, ALRT (2 versions) ALM, ART, innovia, and now Movia metro), that continues to plan and build with SkyTrain.

    It also should be noted that the UTDC’s, ICTS was deemed inferior when compared to LRT as early as 1983 and the proprietary railway has been almost unsalable since then.

    I have been told by several people who have worked at TransLink that SNC Lavalin owns TransLink.

    As the slimy tentacles of corruption from eastern Canada now engulf the west, we must be reminded by the strange and curious incident of $1 million dollars left in a gym bag left at Clinton Park almost two decades ago.

    Like

  20. Now all we need is good people from Trudeau’s side of the floor who still have a working moral compass and can’t stand what has taken place against this good person Jody Wilson Raybould. Whistleblower’s desperately needed for the protection of society and democracy. And no more special laws and favouring for the corrupt, and a seperate set of laws for the rest of society.

    Like

  21. A story or theory hiding in plain sight. I almost missed it and have to say this. Let’s put it this way, regarding Jody Wilson Raybould and why i think Trudeau had an influencing hand in trying to steer Raybould away from the road to prosecution of SNC Lavalin people even if he had some else do it, so he could be at arm’s length by having his obedient dogs do it. He knew, because why would he have not stopped her transition to the Veterans Ministry or not done it at all if he was innocent. So he had to have known. Is he not at the forefront as PM in the transitioning, ceremonial and congratulating time. He wanted her to come to him like another one of his obedient puppets so he could try to manipulate her out of her stance, cause he was surprised that she didn’t heel to the jerk.

    Like

  23. It’s always been stated that the corporations like Lavalin have been prosecuted. Some people have been charged. But has anyone ever been imprisoned.

    Like

    1. A lot of the same names from the good old days but gee SNC Lavalin has road maintenance operations too?

      Prokopanko was lobbying to ” Arrange a series of meetings with BC Government officials and SNC Lavalin representatives to provide an understanding of the professional capabilities and expertise in the area designing, engineering, and construction of oil and gas projects.”

      He met with
      Mungall-minister of mines and energy
      Bains-Labour
      Ralston-Jobs trade and tech
      Trevena-transportaion & Infrastrcture

      And… Coleman.

      Hmm. First thing that came to my mind was the Transmountain pipeline since Horgan has backed right off using every tool in the toolbox. And SNC loves pipelines…

      http://www.snclavalin.com/en/oil-gas/utilities-infrastructure/pipelines-storage

      Now this is total conjecture here but I am tossing my line out to see what comes in.

      I’m wondering if SNC had any discussion with the PMO’s office about building TransMountain before this entire scandal erupted with Jody Wilson Raybould?

      Like

  25. I believe one of the side effects of the much needed full scale corruption inquiry will prove (at a minimum) thoroughly embarrassing to certain pseudo journalists working for traditional media in this province.

    Here are two examples of Keith Baldrey putting the ass in class.

    It’s one thing for him and some of his peers in the press gallery to journalistically fail the citizens of British Columbia. But his constant smearing of excellent citizen journalists working in the public interest should earn him our utmost contempt.

    https://pacificgazette.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-keef-reportspewtrifaction-action.html

    https://pacificgazette.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-keef-reportat-least-he-didnt-call.html

    Like

    1. Sigh. How can I forget? Broke more stories on site c than he ever did thanks to my contacts and he just jumped on me.

      Funny thing because he used to love my work. He told me so in a DM….😁

      Like

      1. I’m astounded, actually apalled, that Baldrey so narrow mindedly concluded that about you being just an activist. The activist part here that he didn’t mention, was that your actually a highly active investigating journalist really actually serving the public interest in this capacity.

        Like

    2. Maybe some journalists like have gotten too cozy with Victoria, whereby that situation over many moons has compromised their objective abilities. It is a lousy thing for the public interest.

      Like

  26. Well it looks like SNC Lavalin is one of the partys bidding on the Pattulo Bridge replacement. Scary. Now Liberal Chair of the House of Commons Anthony Housefather is suggesting Raybould was moved out because she couldn’t speak French and Trudeau needed a fluent speaking minister in Justice. That is sick and sounds desperate. This is getting to be a really sleazy shit show beginning here. And Trudeau is the head sleaze ball. Boy things are taking off.

    Like

      1. The article linked above by Laila, makes it sound like the players are all separate and bidding against one another. Truth is they are an incestuous bunch, who drink, shoot pool and partner together on major projects.

        The first team, dubbed Fraser Community Connectors, is led by Kiewit Canada Development Corp. Kiewit will act as the design-build contractor, while long-span bridge design will be handled by T.Y. Lin International.

        The second team is a joint venture by half a dozen firms, including Flatiron Constructors Canada, Dragados Canada and Carlson Construction Group.

        Kiewit, Flatiron/Dragados held hands on the Port Mann bridge. It really doesn’t matter who is in, they’ll all get their slice.

        http://www.unitedcorpuschristichamber.com/list/member/flatiron-dragados-llc-2594

        https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/weak-oversight-plagued-b-c-megaproject-which-insiders-believe-cost-taxpayers-millions-1.4144535
        Kiewit Flatiron General Partnership was awarded the contract to build the toll bridge and expand a 37-kilometre stretch of Highway 1, from the McGill Street interchange in Vancouver to 216th Street in Langley in February, 2009.

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatiron_Construction
        Flatiron is part of Dragados led team that is bidding for the different construction packages for the California High Speed rail. Although losing the bid for the first Construction package, they won the second with the contract announced on the 12 December 2014. Dragados/Flatiron/Shimmick submitted a bid of $1.23 billion to design and build the 65-mile stretch from the south end of Fresno to near the Tulare-Kings county line and was deemed the “apparent best value” bidder by the California High-Speed Rail Authority.

        Like

        1. Yes and I have written about each of them in the projects they have built in BC.

          Oh, and this just in. RCMP investigating SNC on new corruption investigation. https://business.financialpost.com/news/snc-lavalin-faces-criminal-probe-over-montreal-bridge-contract-documents-reveal

          Perhaps they can come to BC next?

          Sure wonder how they qualified as a bidder during all these charges and investigations. That alone should disqualify a bidder as the govt sets the priority.

          Trevena hasn’t a chance in this portfolio, these guys and the people in the ministry will run all over her.

          Like

        2. It is becoming tough to keep on top of it all. I saw that Montreal bridge piece yesterday and lost track of it in the pile.

          I guess SNC Lavalin is in the Pattullo lineup so it can be said there were three bidders in the process. Be interesting to see how the bids shake down and if SNC is lowest, what the NDP will do.

          My hunch is though, the rigging is set; SNC will be out bid but will still be in on it somewhere.

          Like

        3. Or given another contract as a consolation prize…like how Kiewit was given the WAC Bennett dam rip rap project as consolation for not getting site c.

          They do know people talk about this, don’t they?

          Like

  27. Kiewit was the company who
    1) inspected their own work on the sea to sky retaining walls which were all screwed up
    2) Used substandard rebar which was not approved by the ministry
    3)rebuilt the Lougheed retaining wall several times on the Port Mann project because it kept failing.
    4) shall I go on? https://lailayuile.com/tag/kiewit/

    It took literally over a year to get Claire Trevena to even look into this and when she finally did, Todd stone lied and said the walls were all fine
    Two ended up being rebuilt after I broke that series of stories. Perhaps more as many look patched now with shotcoat

    Like

    1. The rats are sure being exposed. What a shitshow from here to Ottawa. We see first hand the mixing of political slime and Corporate mud. We get nothing but a stinking pile of sludge.

      Like

  28. It feels like some Scumbags have taken my country away, and i want it back. And it turns out that it’s our own employees, the politicians that have betrayed us along with their corporate partners in crime. In the words of a Canadian. Holy shit ehh !!!

    Like

    2. Sadly, that is the only way sometimes when it comes to saving a great country from the corrupt who have wormed their way into power. History is full of examples. We here in Canada are lucky and can stop these scumbags by massive blowback in more peaceful ways while it’s still earlier days of decline, compared to some nations. Like nipping things in the bud now than seeing things go to worse times in the future. Hopefully not.

      Like

  31. ban all anonomous companies in bc . ban anonomous no bid contract awards
    open olympics finances immediately,not 2025-why did BC debt defeeral go up 2 billion just after the games?

    Like

  32. Remember my point in the main blog post above, about Pierre Duhaime( who pleaded guilty to corruption charges) protesting a corruption inquiry because there was no corruption in his opinion?

    And I said it reminded me of the people opposing a Charbonneau style inquiry here?

    I cant imagine what person wouldnt want a sweeping inquiry that has the subpoena power to go anywhere it wants. City halls included as well as the legislature, ministries, etc

    The new mayor of Vancouver protested a Charbonneau style inquiry because hes not see that level of corruption at city hall. Yet councillors have seen people paying taxes with bags of money.

    The public really, really needs to question why any current or past politician, at any level, would oppose a sweeping inquiry.

    https://www.vancourier.com/opinion/vancouver-mayor-rejects-charbonneau-style-inquiry-into-money-laundering-1.23635154

    Like

    1. Geoff Plant former long term BC Liberal AJ Justice Minister i can see crystal clear as being against. Ughh whats that smell. Let me clear my throat of gag stuff. But Mike Harcourt. WOW. Interesting times

      Like

    2. “The downside of inquiries? They take forever, tell you the obvious, and it costs a lot of money,” said former NDP premier Mike Harcourt.

      Okay, Mr. Harcourt. If it is so obvious to you, tell us. Lay out your evidence. Name names, identify the complete scope, tell us which laws were contravened and by whom, or assure us no laws were broken and how you know that. Otherwise, shut your pie-hole and get out of the way.

      “Mr. Plant agreed, saying that inquiries can end up being ineffective because they’re so broad. ‘If you’re examining the spread of money-laundering, that is a really big challenge,’ he said.”

      A really big challenge that successive Attorney Generals were not up to. Right, Mr. Plant? And because it’s a really big challenge we should just walk away? My response to you involves sex and travel. F**k off! And take Harcourt with you.

      By the way, Mr. Plant, you are on record as saying that as a matter of law, the guilty pleas in the Basi/Virk BC Rail trial could not be connected in a legally binding deal to the waiver of the defendants’ liability for their accumulated legal fees. They were. Is that a really big challenge you aren’t up to as well?

      Like

        1. Can’t help thinking about former SNC Lavalin Chairman Gwyn Morgan waiting in her office as her “transition advisor” after he greatly assisted installing her as B.C. Liberal leader and by default, Premier. They didn’t even try to hide the obvious implications. She then delivered beyond his wildest dreams and our nightmares.

          She now works for Bennett Jones as Senior Advisor, Governmental Affairs and Public Policy. I wonder if Bennett Jones does any work for SNC Lavalin, and whether that work would include TV interviews?

          Like

  34. Liked Mikey at one time, but sheesh, they all seem to get into the same pot at some point. Shameful. What’s there to hide?

    Plants been around since El Gordo days. Nothing here, move along.

    Nothing less than a full Charbonneau like inquiry will do. Quite frankly, it’s going to be well spent money imo. Time to clean up the system all the way through top to bottom.

    Keep up the great work Laila!!

    Like

    1. Canada is in a bad space right now for leadership. Sunny ways have turned into lying ways and a choice between him or Scheer leaves me gagging quite frankly.

      He could gave just admitted what he’d done, tanked his career and saved the party. But no, he had to keep on playing games.

      Like

  37. The big prize for SNC Lavalin is the now $7 billion+ Broadway subway to UBC.

    SNC own the engineering patents for the now called “Movia” SkyTrain, while Bombardier Inc. hold the technical patents.

    What this means SNC Lavalin and Bombardier Inc. can and will have the lowest and winning bid.

    TransLink is extremely worried and sent the “Eye” a letter claiming SkyTrain is not a proprietary transit system. They never specified either the Canada line which is a heavy rail railway, operating generic electrical multiple unites and the Expo and millennium lines which operate the now called Movia Metro.

    The total cost of a Broadway subway to UBC and a Langley SkyTrain extension to Langley will be in excess of $10 billion. Easy money for SNC dividends.

    If SNC is found guilty and not allowed any government money for projects in Canada, means continuing with the proprietary SkyTrain will be near impossible at the current budgeted costs!

    SkyTrain in BC is the financial jewel in SNC Lavalin’s crown.

    Like

  39. If it turns out that Jody Wilson Raybould is back in the sunny ways with Trudeau, or always has been and doesn’t give the public their day of complete truth, then wouldn’t one feel outrage. What else should one think, except that Canadians continue to be decieved and as usual treated like shit. Her and the whole stinking works of the Trudeau circle would i think be seen as nothing but a pack of slimeballs. Hopefully she isn’t one of them. I really hope not. This whole stinking mess seems layered with political sleaziness.

    Like

    1. The LPC screwed this up bad.
      Mistake one: indulging SNC’s lobbying attempts to change the criminal code.
      Mistake two: trashing Jody when this all came out.
      Mistake three: telling a variety of statements before admitting they met instead of immediately dealing with reality, taking the hit, and making it right.
      Mistake four…and this is a deadly one: underestimating how disgusted the public is by all of the pandering to unethical corporations like SNC Lavalin who have a tremendously bad track record of corruption investigation and practices…and even attempt to have the criminal code changed to evade meaningful consequences.

      It angers me that Trudeau and crew played along with SNC,which now gives the Cons a leg up.

      Like

      1. Trudeau always reconfirms my cynicism about our politicians, and how low and lousy most are. I will however keep my mind open in a good light for Jody Wilson Raybould. I want her to go at Trudeau and do some ass kicking. I can only take so much of that attorney client privilege thing with the government. The jerks that are Trudeau and his losers. I hope she goes in swinging with both hands.

        Like

      2. This really is turning into a Jody and Goliath classic.

        The rolling out of Michael Wernick, who was clearly partisan in a way that has traditionally NOT been a place where bureaucrats have gone, demonstrated this is now all about defending and saving the influencers that govern.

        He was not defending the liberals; he was defending all crooked governments.

        This is about saving the hides of SNC, plus the other under the radar corps and ensuring the continuance of paying the government hookers, for their services. If SNC losses and all those contracts go to others, with few jobs actually lost, it will take a long while to train new Johns to the level of SNC.

        Should SNC win the day, the conservatives will need to quietly thank the liberals for keeping that system intact.

        So, it now appears that the hymn from corporate financed governance, will be “misunderstanding” and a matter of perception; “well, yes, we all spoke openly about this matter, to ensure everyone understood both the up and down sides of a guilty verdict in the courts.”

        The century’s seasoned white male establishment will stand tall and strong declaring no ill intent and the rookie AG simply read it wrong. “There was no pressure; it was always she who had the ultimate decision; we understood and supported that democratic ideal.”

        How they attempt to get the message across will be critical to Trudeau’s survival. They will need to attack Jody Wilson-Raybould with a skill I personally doubt those white boys possess.

        Trudeau was elected largely on his conciliatory, feminist, inclusionary, “it’s 2015” mantra. They must now take a machete to that and sully the very persona that helped get them into the big chair; the smart, non-white female. The Facebook crowd aren’t going to like it, nor are most decent Canadians.

        There is another element as well, that has been overlooked.

        Take a look, up there on the ridge. Overlooking the political and corporate hacks, circling the wagons down in the valley, is a very long line of Bill Wilsons, mounted up and ready to ride should ANYONE abuse his daughter.

        It could get colourful. Ugly, but colourful and in the end, if SNC wins, if Trudeau and the Liberals are defeated, the system survives to cycle left and right into the foreseeable future.

        A buck to the right, a buck to the left and two to the house.

        Like

  40. Now we get to enjoy the front row seats and listen to the pathetic disgusting bull shit spewing from Clerk of the Privy Council Michael Warnick’s stupid yapper. Now that guy makes me want to throw up. God what a sickening experience.

    Like

    1. Doesn’t it just blow the mind, when we keep hearing the BS from the peanut gallery politicians, who keep giving the lame expense excuse of an inquiry and get to the root cause, fixing it all, and above all, hold people to account for the damage they have caused to a whole society. But these idiots have no problem wasting way more on all their selfish entitlements, bureaucratic red tape, throw away money for special interests, Site C [Billions] , referendums, partisan and propaganda advertising, their shiny toothy trust us smiles advertising, and so on. Yep, i wonder what Easy Way Out John Timid Horgan doesn’t get. These same old establishment politicians are so immoral they will even spend the last tax nickel on themselves before a poor family and children in need get it.

      Like

        1. That’s one sad story about this poor mother and her kids. And as usual who’s behind the cause of these tragedies and unnecessary heartbreak and torture for this women and others. The dirty selfish empathy lacking brain dead politicians who were a part of this destruction because of money. But the selfish negligent pigs have lots of that money for themselves to use and abuse. What a bunch of lowlifes. And these parasites live off the the system. Will this government continue with this abuse. I’m not optimistic. Thanks for posting this. These are the real big important stories that should be shoved in our governments face and make it personal because it is about real people in government who create and cause this shit. They should be held to account personally because we employ them to serve the interests of people like this lady and her family and others in their hours of need. Shame the F…..S. out of serving themselves and into doing right.

          Like

        2. I don’t see the need for name-calling,lets refrain from it.
          The NDP has made some really good moves and changes on some issues and on others people are left wondering what happened. The silence over this particular story is shameful for several reasons.
          1) they opened new shelter beds and housing for women fleeing violence. But tell me now how, if a woman is working and needs to pay for everything on her own to start over, how is she going to afford a lawyer? She won’t. The ndp attacked the cuts to legal aid under the libs, but the limit mus be raised for women fleeing violence.

          2) This is something ndp supporters would have roasted the Libs for and rightly so. Yet silence from all when women like this one need it the most. She shouldnt have to quit her job to get legal aid to protect herself and her kids.

          Like

  42. I won’t give the BCNDP leaders too much credit, but only a tiny bit will i let them have, because their so slack and slothful and play their political and bureaucratic games in getting things done like most other political partys these days, while they waste millions doing studies on studies about infrastructure that has been studied to death, and waste our money on referendums, to special interests, while people like this mother and her kids are falling in the hole, but could really have that money that has gone to no good. So far i find them to be no better than the bums before them. There not doing enough. Why doesn’t Claire Trevana give that trip to Africa spouses expense back and this lady and her kids could use it. They do make me sick.

    Like

    1. 2.4 million increase in their government advertising budget would have been better spent elewhere, on legal aid, or SAR funding, or whatever.

      Its this kind of thing that starts a slippery slope when supporters turn blind eyes to avoid criticzing their own parties actions on issues they attacked the Libs for. All I ask is those supporters publicly hold their own party to the same account they held the Libs too, particularly on issues like these where vulnerable people are being left in the lurch. Its futile to have left a domestic violence situation only to discover you cant fight for your childrens safety. And they can legislate a provision in legal aid to fix this just as they could make the SLAPP suit legislation retroactive.

      Like

      1. I totally agree. Well it looks like Trudeau and high profile people have been exposed by Jody Wilson Raybould for some pretty bad stuff. It’s beyond anything I expected. the PM must resign along with Bill Morneau, Ben Chin, Michael Warnick, and others. We should not let this go. This is completely unnacceptable by our standards as a nation, where a Prime Minister of all people was involved in political interference in justice, or worse. This government for all intents and purposes should be a fallen government as soon as possible. JWR even has the damning evidence. Even if Trudeau. As you said Laila which i agree totally. People must hold their own party to account and this is the time more than any other time to do so. Adangerous precedent will be set in stone if the demand for Trudeau’s resignation isn’t overwhelming. The people that should be leading the charge should by all rights, be the very people that voted him in. I see him and the rest of those disgusting politicians invlolved in what they did in betraying us in the course of justice and what the guilty did to this hero of justice Jody Wilson Raybould must and i can’t emphasize it more, Must demand resignations and give disgrace to these guilty ones. I am mad as hell now and i have every right to be as a Canadian and won’t be any less. But i’m still a happy person in general. HAHA. You wouldn’t think so. Just on politics, because i have an obligation to do my little part for the future for my kids and my grand kids and so on. NOT ONE STEP BACK.

        Like

        1. I’m watching testimony too. My gosh Wilson Raybould is speaking truth to power as her colleagues in the LPC attack and try to deflect questioning on why Trudeau was pressuring and interfering in the prosecutorial independence of the Attorney Generals office.

          Not only that but one Lpc mp basically attacked her for her decision on the Dpa, and defended them as a good prosecutorial tool.

          She upheld the rule of law in the face of extreme interference. She has calmly and with immense grace and composure,answered all questions fully and shot down, corrected and otherwise negated her colleagues attempts to paint her as having failed in her duties as Attorney General for not resigning.

          My god. What have we come to here in Canada? When companies like SNC can insinuate themselves into the inner offices of the Prime Minister, who then pressures an independent office via his clerk to change course.

          I do not say this lightly, remembering full well how poorly the Cpc treated Canadian voters , but based on what I saw and heard today I agree he must step down and any/ all staff who directed or acted inappropriately in this saga must too. And after watching the LPC mps going after her, I could not imagine voting LPC period. And I won’t vote Conservative ever…Scheer is just a new face on the old Harper crowd….

          Just unreal watching this. I’ve not seen anything like it.

          Jody Wilson Raybould for Prime Minister. What do you think?

          Like

  43. Oh yes, thank you for mentioning Jody Wilson Raybould for Prime Minister. I second the motion. A beacon of hope for decency and justice and all things good for our country going forth out of this political darkness. And yes the CPC don’t get or deserve any respect from me either for the crap they threw on us. Well i suppose the future is in the people’s hands as it should always be. But for now the rotten batch in now need’s to be kicked out of office. They are busted. Caught red handed. Their dirty hands can’t be cleaned. They have really betrayed Canada and all it stands for. And the ringleader Justin Pierre James Trudeau must be the first to go. Not worthy at all to carry the title Prime Minister anymore.

    Like

    1. Oh did you see his press conference?

      He is so terribly glad Jody had a chance to testify.

      However,he completely ‘disagrees’ with her characterization of what occurred and at no time was there pressure nor did he or anyone else act inappropriately.

      So, essentially shes lying is his insinuation although he wont say that.

      I believe Jody. I don’t believe Trudeau.

      Like

      1. I did see his press conference. I concur. Trudeau is resoundingly unbelievable. It was actually hard to watch a sitting PM drown in his own verbal goohh. A pathetic attempt to squirm his way out from under his rock. He didn’t even get a toe out. Jody is completely truthful. Trudeau has been busted. Trudeau and Trump are having the worse day of their political careers. Maybe they can both resign,or better yet, be forced from office in disgrace on the same day too.

        Like

  44. What a compelling few hours of testimony.

    I go back to what I said a few days ago, here or somewhere else, this is not a LPC issue, it is a government of Canada issue that we cannot lose sight of.

    This has been going on forever and the only difference here is a single person, of the thousands gone before her, who was willing to stand up, put it all on the line and “speak truth to power.”

    How many from the past, have just now had an internal dialogue; “I only wish I would have had her courage and conviction.”
    ……………………………………..
    JWR for Prime Minister; sounds plausible, warm and fuzzy but, isn’t a small snapshot what got Justin elected as a savior? Or Pierre Elliot? Or Christy Clark?

    The only way JWR could make any difference at all, is with a slate of like minded individuals and I just don’t know how the hell we get there, given the centuries of moneyed politics.

    Now, that is not taking a swipe at JWR, just saying she cannot do it all by herself and with such a shallow and gullible populous, well…
    —————————————
    SNC is not dead yet either and my fear is similar to a defeated Trump who, just by nature of the position, can wreak havoc on the way out, Trudeau can still overrule the PPS on deferment or elimination the section on no government contracts for 10 years.
    —————————————-
    No matter the outcome, Trudeau would still be electable in QC on the basis of his stance vis-à-vis SNC.
    —————————————-
    We still have Huawei, smoldering just off stage as well.
    —————————————-
    That’s it.

    Like

    1. I wouldn’t even doubt it if Trudeau would really like to see Huawei get a pass out of their troubles. I don’t think this guy has Canada’s security at the top of the list. I don’t think he even believes in keeping this country in tact as a sovereign nation. He and his backstabbing ideoligically messed up dangerous pack of fools need to go. I know the options for political leadership isn’t pleasant, but I think these people in now have proven to be worst and a serious danger and threat to the security of the nation by.

      Like

  45. Now here’s something, completely off topic, to ponder, or am I overthinking?

    Sheila Malcolmson is a skilled, ministerial, new face to the NDP provincial caucus.

    Murray Rankin and Nathan Cullen, two popular NDP MPs, have announced their intent to not run for re-election, federally.

    It seems like a nice thought, that maybe the BC NDP is quietly recruiting good wood for election 2021; maybe even setting up for a new leader.

    Neither idea would bother me much.

    Go a step further and add to the mix, a solid independent who placed a decent third for the mayor’s chair in Vancouver 2018, Shauna Sylvester, maybe a couple of current Vancouver councillors and other proven folks from around the province and we could have the makings of a brand new NDP.

    Hey, I can dream, can’t I?

    Like

    1. Some are saying Nathan and Murray might go Green,since the oil and gas wing of the BCNDP seem to have taken over….that might be a dream Weaver would have.

      Like

  46. I just wonder if Jody Wilson Raybould made a blunder, by saying a head of time, that the interference was inappropriate but not illegal. Not that it matters given the obvious abuses of power of interference and attempts to obstruct justice, Trudeaus downward spiral in popularity. I wonder how many of his political circle are going to slip away and not want to be associated with him anymore. Or will they all hang around and back him like blind eyed robots and suckholes. Probably. That would be sad. If the Ethics Commissioner investigates and reports like Trudeau says will decide WHOS RIGHT OR WRONG. He sounded like an immature little bully boy in the room. This Prime Minister turned out to be one disgraceful leader.

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  47. The Ethics Commissioner’s scope, in any matter, is so narrow as to render it absolutely useless in this case and that is exactly why the Clown Prince wants it.

    I don’t think JWR blundered at all, in fact that comment, in my mind, confirms she is way ahead of and smarter than the rest of us. Transparent, to boot. She knew they would eventually play the “nothing illegal” card and she beat them to it.

    In that comment, I think she pointed out “power” knows where the lines are and will be as shifty as necessary within them. It’s like the “naïve-green-inexperienced-indigenous-woman” comments. Nothing illegal; close to hate but not illegal.

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    1. Well we shall see. I Hope your right that she didnt blunder. Youre probably right. I just like tougher responses i suppose instead of just inappropriate. It wouldnt matter anyways she is way to far ahead of the stinky Trudeau swamp. Looks like woman are bashing him down too, like the indigenous woman leaders are doing banding together against him. Its a beautiful thing to see. They are setting such a fantastic example.

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  48. Kenny, again I remind you, this is not a Trudeau/Liberal issue. Had Jody Wilson-Raybould been a CCP AG, we would be watching the same circus with that bunch as well.

    Up until now, no one, no one has had the guts to do what she is doing and the public will forgive any and all perceived blunders.

    Can you tell I am completely and solidly in her camp?

    You know what I see? Even when the heat is on, she is stoic with a firm, straight, closed mouth, there is a calm in her eyes. Corny? I don’t care.

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    1. I will have a new post on this tomorrow. Ive seen some absolutely classic textbook distract and deflection going on…

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    2. Tim when i said i hope people arent robots and dont follow Trudeau and the other guilty rats that crapped on JWR i am referring to his cabinet and close circle only. Hopefully some or many will have courage and distance themselves from who have done this wrong. Your description of Jody Raybould is not corny either.

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  50. Thats good to hear. I see things in a little different light and OPINION, but still behind her 100 percent. No matter how one slices it, it is still in part a Trudeau Liberal issue. In part. Who do you think the people are that pulled that crap with her. And yeah the Cons are no different or the NDP, but this is under a Liberal watch. And dont forget who got lobbied and essentially bribed, and jumped into bed with SNC and the like, and let the Deferred Prosecution Amendment in. I say no more.

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    1. Last night, I had one of my somewhat regular phone conversations with my longest running best friend. We’ve been fixing the world now for 40 years and though mellowed, have both been good BC born, union based dippers since Mr. Barrett’s run in 1972.

      Over the years, we have come to differ on many issues but I was shocked at his position on this SNC quagmire. he casts aside, moral, ethical and legal principals to say leave them alone for the sake of jobs.

      The problem I have, besides being speechless is, he can argue this with some pretty good logic.

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  52. Looks like Jan Phillpot resigned. The first courageous high profile politician and a Cabinet Minister too resigns, besides Jody Wilson Raybould. She is setting a great moral example. I hope more follow, and leave Trudeau and his disgraceful cave buddies in an even more untenable situation for doing what they did. Jane Phillpot. Another HERO!!

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  53. I hope Fraser Valley Liberal MP Jati Sidhu isn’t let off so easy right away for spewing his shameful and despicable comments about Jody Wilson Raybould either. His apology is worthless, and it sounded worthless.

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  54. The jobs excuse is a bs red herring. It’s the contracts that create the jobs, not SNC. Jobs are jobs, if the contracts are not awarded to SNC, then the jobs go to whatever other contractor gets the contract.

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    1. Snc insider comes forward, sparking new probe.

      Time for SNC insiders past and present to come forward anonymously in BC. Do it safely, using encrypted emails from devices not at home or work.

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