It seems the federal Liberal government just can’t help themselves with it comes to SNC Lavalin. Yes, this involves the ALTO High-speed rail but it also involves the LRT in the city of Ottawa and the many failed engineering projects that occurred there.
ALTO, the federal government’s pet high speed rail project, that does nothing for Canadians and will merely put this Nation into deeper debt, has as part of its team AtkinsRéalis. This is the new name for SNC-Lavalin, as of 2023.[1] So, is this rose going to smell just as sweet as its predecessor? Maybe a little reminder of the history between the Liberal government and SNC/AtkinsRealis?
In 2019 we all have to remember the scandal with Jodi Wilson-Raybould, Canada’s, then, Attorney General, don’t we? We also might remember SNC-Lavalin’s push for deferred prosecution. It had been reported that SNC had lobbied, like a mad dog, for it not to be restricted, from government contracts, but it didn’t, necessarily, get what it wanted. From a Maclean’s article:
“… The law does give prosecutors latitude to consider the national economic interest in their deliberations. But the legislative summary for Bill C-74 makes clear that prosecutors can only do so in cases that don’t involve bribery of foreign officials, which is exactly what SNC stands accused of doing.
… Of course, attorneys general are authorized under a separate law to direct the public prosecutor to negotiate a remediation agreement. And that’s why those conversations between Jody Wilson-Raybould and the Prime Minister’s Office, as well as Wernick, are so central to SNC’s ultimate failure to secure deferred prosecution.”[2]
Then there’s the City of Ottawa LRT scandal. Again, another mess brought on by Liberal friendly officials. SNC had bid on the engineering/construction/maintenance of the City of Ottawa’s Light Rail contract. It didn’t even meet the required engineering standards. “…it didn’t include a signalling or train control system, didn’t address how to incorporate the city’s existing trains into the expansion — an omission the team called a “fatal flaw” — and that the bid referred to equipment for an electric light rail system. The evaluators gave SNC-Lavalin a score of 63 per cent. The minimum passing score was 70. On Oct. 3, 2018, the evaluators told BESC they had reached a “unanimous consensus that the proposal should not be considered further in the evaluation process.”[3] And yet SNC got the contract…and the City of Ottawa had/is wasting, not only the $1.6 Billion dollar construction of the LRT, but also continued maintenance costs and the on-going issues with this project.[4]
And so, here we go again. The rose has changed its name and we need to ask, are the thorns still going to prick us in the end? ALTO needs to be stopped; the legislation and amendments to the federal Expropriation Act need to be repealed; and as this isn’t a nation building project just who is the federal government fooling?
Canadians would think that $1.6 Billion +++ for the failed LRT in Ottawa is enough, but now the federal government wants Canadians to pay $90 Billion +++ for an already failed ALTO high-speed rail. Perhaps, both urban and rural Canadians should just tell the government “NO.”
Elizabeth Marshall
Author
Director of Research – Ontario Landowners Association
Past Chair – Canadian Justice Review Board
Legal/Legislative/General Researcher –
MPs, MPPs, Senators, Municipal Officials, Lawyers, etc.
I am not a lawyer and do not give legal advice.
[1] SNC-Lavalin changing name to AtkinsRéalis
[2] Where SNC-Lavalin’s push for deferred prosecution came up short
The firm lobbied hard in Ottawa, but it didn’t get precisely the deferred prosecution regime it hoped for and not everyone was open to its advances
Feb 22, 2019
[3] LRT Everything you wanted to know about the SNC-Lavalin LRT contract, but were too confused to ask
How did SNC-Lavalin win the $1.6B Trillium Line bid despite failing to meet the technical threshold?
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/how-we-got-to-snc-lavalin-decision-1.5459189
Joanne Chianello · CBC News · Posted: Feb 11, 2020
[4] SNC-Lavalin, now AtkinsRéalis, facing $100M in legal claims from Trillium contractors
Claim from construction manager Pomerleau alleges mismanagement caused delays. BY Elyse Skura · CBC News · Posted: Jan 20, 2025