Pay to be forgiven

News 29 March, 2018
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    Francis Halin

    Thursday, 29 march 2018 22:36

    UPDATE
    Thursday, 29 march 2018 22:36

    Look at this article

    The Trudeau government is going to pass the sponge over certain crimes in economic enterprises if they show white paw… and out of their portfolio. SNC-Lavalin could come out the winner of these “agreements” repair a new genre.

    Since next January, the federal government will encourage companies to disclose their own wrongdoing in exchange for a reprieve from prosecution and heavy fines.

    “While Canada currently has a robust framework to support accountability and integrity in public procurement, and real estate transactions, we always strive to do better,” he told the Newspaper Ashley Michnowski, attached to the minister of public Services and Procurement, Carla Qualtrough.

    Contacted by The Newspaper, SNC-Lavalin has refused to rule on the new measure. “We are not commenting on no more for the moment,” limited himself to say his spokesperson, Nicolas Ryan.

    Photo archives Agence QMI, Maxime Deland

    In the month of may of last year, the CEO of SNC-Lavalin group, Neil Bruce, said that this type of measurement already existing in the United States and the United Kingdom would have allowed SNC-Lavalin to put the hand on several contracts.

    Yet, in the month of may 2017, the CEO of SNC-Lavalin group, Neil Bruce, had told the Journal that he regretted that such a measure does not exist here.

    “It is a real competitive disadvantage for any canadian company working abroad, and who falls into our category. All of our competitors, among the biggest names in the industry, have benefited from similar agreements. It we night extremely, ” he emphasized.

    Pressure

    For the associate professor and co-director of the Centre for studies in economic law (CEDE) of the University Laval, Karounga Diawara, the pressure exerted by companies such as SNC-Lavalin may not be foreign to the gesture of Ottawa.

    “It is sure that there has been a strong lobby exercised by the multinational companies who were the victims, such as SNC-Lavalin and others, who have been pinned for corruption internationally,” let there be fall.

    “Tax corruption “

    For his part, professor of political science of the University of Montreal Denis St-Martin is not kind to the place of this kind of arrangement is popular in the United States.

    “The greatest teachers of law at Harvard University have rather written that it was a “tax” corruption “, indicates those who are interested in the issue for twenty years.

    The professor is also concerned that this type of agreement is often negotiated ” in secrecy and in the most complete opacity “. A dynamic that is familiar with the lawyer John W. Boscariol of McCarthy Tetreault. “The negotiations will be done in secret, but their results will be made public “, he says.