SNC-Lavalin pushes government on maintaining local expertise

“[…]“Today, it must be recognized that the integral application of this law could lead to unjust consequences for tens of thousands of innocent workers and to the destruction of an industry that’s vital to the Quebec economy,” Yvan Allaire, chairman of Montreal’s Institute for Governance of Private and Public Organizations, wrote in a July 2 opinion piece published on the website of business magazine Les Affaires.

Mr. Allaire argues that engineering firms found guilty of past wrongdoing should be allowed to resume their normal public contract work on condition they reimburse the sums they received illegally and pay a 20% penalty. He argues municipalities are also to blame for their poor financial controls and should also shoulder some of the repayment costs.

Mr. Card has met privately with Quebec Premier Pauline Marois and senior PQ staff in recent weeks in a bid to express his view on SNC’s ethical shortcomings and the steps it has taken to improve governance. The company employs 34,000 employees, including thousands in its Quebec home base.

The decision to list itself with the lobbyist registry was done “to be as absolutely transparent as possible,” said SNC spokesperson Leslie Quinton. “We have heard of companies who have had people in social settings being accused of lobbying, so we decided to be proactive and register anyone who could conceivably have any contact with government authorities, however innocuous.”

The company does not intend to actually conduct any more lobbying than it has in the past, Ms. Quinton said.

She declined to comment on Quebec’s anti-corruption law specifically. “We would like to be able to discuss openly and constructively the potential impact of government laws on our company and our people, which is not limited to any single law.”

SNC-Lavalin has submitted its documentation to obtain its ethics certificate from the AMF. To date it has not received a response, Ms. Quinton said.” Read more