Conservatives call on Trudeau Liberals to release details of $150 MILLION SNC-Lavalin contract

Conservative Shadow Ethics Minister Michael Barrett and Public Services and Procurement Shadow Minister Pierre Paul-Hus "called on the Government of Canada to release all details and information related to a $150 million sole-source contract for mobile health units built by SNC-Lavalin," the document reads.

The demand comes shortly after the deal between SNC-Lavalin and the government was revealed.

The statement complains that "limited details have been provided about delivery dates, deployment, or provincial/territorial demands."

The Conservative Party statement referenced SNC-Lavalin's "legal history" as a reason for wanting more transparency regarding the contract. SNC-Lavalin has been embroiled in a variety of legal scandals over the years, including claims that they bribed Indian government officials, illegally reimbursed political donations made by their employees, particularly to the Liberal Party, and bribing Libyan government officials under the leadership of their now-deceased dictator Muammar Gaddafi, including by allegedly providing his son with prostitutes.

However, the biggest scandal to plague SNC-Lavalin in recent years came in 2019 after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attempted to pressure then-Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould to intervene in a legal case revolving around the company's history of corruption. When Wilson-Raybould refused, Trudeau shuffled her to another position in the cabinet before she ultimately resigned from the cabinet.

"[Given] SNC-Lavalin's legal history, questions must be answered to assure taxpayers that their money is being spent appropriately," said Barrett in the statement, noting that its status as a sole-sourced contract makes the issue even more important.

The Conservatives proposed a number of questions to the Liberal government, including questioning why the contract was sole-sourced, whether SNC-Lavalin was the only company capable of providing these services, when the units will be deployed, which provinces, if any, requested such mobile health units, and whether they will even be necessary after the vaccine arrives.

"Canadians rightly deserve answers about the contract," wrote Paul-Hus, "including assurances that all rules were followed, and that this isn't simply another example of taxpayer money being misappropriated by the government."