SNC-Lavalin affair

The SNC-Lavalin affair is a <a href="/facts/Political_scandal/leoJj9Tw">political scandal</a> involving attempted <a href="/facts/Judicial_independence/5apjulba">political interference with the justice system</a> by the <a href="/facts/Prime_Minister_of_Canada/XhKW7uSD">Prime Minister of Canada</a>, <a href="/facts/Justin_Trudeau/fmCWle6G">Justin Trudeau</a>, and the <a href="/facts/Office_of_the_Prime_Minister_(Canada)/r3CYrxLX">Prime Minister's Office</a> (PMO). The <a href="/facts/Parliament_of_Canada/4YQfaTxt">Parliament of Canada</a>'s <a href="/facts/Ethics_Commissioner_(Canada)/dva0l63C">Ethics Commissioner</a> <a href="/facts/Mario_Dion/F0h8tM3N">Mario Dion</a> found that Trudeau improperly influenced then <a href="/facts/Minister_of_Justice_and_Attorney_General_of_Canada/6dqzlKIQ">Minister of Justice and Attorney General</a> <a href="/facts/Jody_Wilson-Raybould/RNI1DtcX">Jody Wilson-Raybould</a> to intervene in an ongoing criminal case against Quebec-based construction company SNC-Lavalin (subsequently rebranded <a href="/facts/AtkinsR%C3%A9alis/WoQkRNnq">AtkinsRéalis</a> in 2023) by offering a <a href="/facts/Deferred_prosecution_agreement/UFKegHzp">deferred prosecution agreement</a>.
The affair became public when <a href="/facts/The_Globe_and_Mail/kMbbpJ8z">The Globe and Mail</a> published an article uncovering the allegations on 7 February 2019, shortly after Wilson-Raybould had been <a href="/facts/Cabinet_reshuffle/ryjbNVPz">shuffled to another cabinet position</a> as <a href="/facts/Minister_of_Veterans_Affairs_(Canada)/oVB9GhWQ">Minister of Veterans Affairs</a>. On 11 February, Ethics Commissioner Dion announced he would investigate the allegations. Wilson-Raybould resigned from cabinet the next day. This was followed by the resignation of <a href="/facts/Gerald_Butts/TmtSxqLW">Gerald Butts</a>, the <a href="/facts/Principal_Secretary_(Canada)/wd9Y5A4Y">Principal Secretary</a> to Trudeau, on February 18. This was then followed by the resignation of fellow <a href="/facts/Liberal_Party_of_Canada/4NcQ9pNu">Liberal</a> cabinet minister <a href="/facts/Jane_Philpott/5jkNrsaK">Jane Philpott</a> on March 5, over the government's handling of the affair. The <a href="/facts/House_of_Commons_of_Canada/XAdyEgPs">House of Commons</a>' <a href="/facts/Canadian_House_of_Commons_Standing_Committee_on_Justice_and_Human_Rights/qJP4nP1r">Justice Committee</a> held three hearings into the affair. Wilson-Raybould, Butts, and <a href="/facts/Michael_Wernick/2kVhPwFN">Michael Wernick</a>, <a href="/facts/Clerk_of_the_Privy_Council_(Canada)/BRHt6wQg">Clerk of the Privy Council</a> testified before the committee. Wilson-Raybould said there was a breach of prosecutorial independence when members of the government pressured her to offer SNC-Lavalin a <a href="/facts/Deferred_prosecution_agreement/UFKegHzp">DPA</a> instead of continuing with a criminal prosecution. Butts and Wernick testified that they had contacted Wilson-Raybould to find a "political solution" after the decision not to offer SNC-Lavalin a DPA was made. Controversially, Wilson-Raybould revealed that she had secretly recorded a conversation she had with Wernick while she was Attorney General.
Following the hearings, Wernick announced his early retirement from the Privy Council. <a href="/facts/Leader_of_the_Official_Opposition_(Canada)/Qc2CQq8m">Leader of the Official Opposition</a> <a href="/facts/Andrew_Scheer/NQ4eCybB">Andrew Scheer</a> called for Trudeau's resignation. He further accused Trudeau of political interference, lying to Canadians, and corrupt conduct. Trudeau responded to those comments with a threat of a libel lawsuit through his lawyer. Opposition parties and former attorneys-general asked the <a href="/facts/Royal_Canadian_Mounted_Police/yUUrtrGr">Royal Canadian Mounted Police</a> (RCMP) to investigate whether Trudeau's conduct qualifies as <a href="/facts/Obstruction_of_justice/PREaqCG8">obstruction of justice</a>. In April, Trudeau expelled Wilson-Raybould and Philpott from the Liberal caucus.
After a six-month-long investigation, Ethics Commissioner Dion issued a report that concluded that Trudeau had contravened Section 9 of the federal <a href="/facts/Conflict_of_Interest_Act/dva0l63C">Conflict of Interest Act</a> by improperly pressuring Wilson-Raybould. Dion wrote that while Wilson-Raybould was never officially directed to interfere, this influence was "tantamount to political direction". Dion did not find that any actual political interference in the prosecution occurred; however, he reported he did not have access to all of the evidence. Under the Act, there are no sanctions specified for the violation. After the commissioner's report was released, the Prime Minister released a statement both taking responsibility for and defending his actions. The opposition leaders have called for further investigations.

SNC-Lavalin affair open-in-new

SNC-Lavalin affair