This whole thing is so scripted...

[farmaholic]

So, is Quebec corrupt business practice "privilege" over?

[shtferbrains]

So, is Quebec corrupt business practice "privilege" over?

Don't think Quebec will get cleaned up any time soon. It's endemic there. Shithole country here we come.

This article explains some of the problems. Not an op-ed.

https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2019/02/22/SNC-Lavalin-Criminal-Record-Corruption/

Some of content:

Between 2011 and 2015 the Charbonneau Commission investigated Quebec’s construction industry and found corruption galore involving the misappropriation of half a billion dollars of taxpayers’ money. “Dirty money” funded the province’s politics.

The schemes were both simple and complex. Engineering firms “financed municipal candidates and organized their elections in order to obtain a large share of public contracts in municipalities, notably on the outskirts of Montréal.”

In a province where public works contracts totaled $7 billion a year, engineering companies colluded to restrict market share. The engineering firms approved a claim for fake upgrades submitted by a construction firm in exchange for a kickback on the resulting payment.

Sometimes companies merely financed political parties with the general goal of maintaining market share. As one expert testified, “political contributions are more profitable and less risky for companies in search of influence than bribing public employees.”

After the commission tabled its findings, SNC-Lavalin and other companies eventually repaid $95 million back to the municipalities and school boards they had overbilled over 20 years.

Lots more detail on SNC in the main text.

[furrowtickler]

Don't think Quebec will get cleaned up any time soon. It's endemic there. Shithole country here we come.

This article explains some of the problems. Not an op-ed.

https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2019/02/22/SNC-Lavalin-Criminal-Record-Corruption/

Some of content:

Between 2011 and 2015 the Charbonneau Commission investigated Quebec’s construction industry and found corruption galore involving the misappropriation of half a billion dollars of taxpayers’ money. “Dirty money” funded the province’s politics.

The schemes were both simple and complex. Engineering firms “financed municipal candidates and organized their elections in order to obtain a large share of public contracts in municipalities, notably on the outskirts of Montréal.”

In a province where public works contracts totaled $7 billion a year, engineering companies colluded to restrict market share. The engineering firms approved a claim for fake upgrades submitted by a construction firm in exchange for a kickback on the resulting payment.

Sometimes companies merely financed political parties with the general goal of maintaining market share. As one expert testified, “political contributions are more profitable and less risky for companies in search of influence than bribing public employees.”

After the commission tabled its findings, SNC-Lavalin and other companies eventually repaid $95 million back to the municipalities and school boards they had overbilled over 20 years.

Lots more detail on SNC in the main text.

Third world corruption not as bad as this ??

[AlbertaFarmer5]

A caller into a radio show yesterday connected some dots on the Liberal scandals. Wasn't given much time, but I will embellish a little. Sounds conspiratorial, but after all that has come out lately, perhaps not that far off of the truth.

Liberals bought the Pipeline with the expectation that they would then generously give the contract for building it to their good buddies as SNC, with appropriate cost overruns and kickbacks, as a new and creative almost legal way to transfer more money from taxpayers and the west to Quebec, and back into Liberal coffers, pockets, and foundations.

But first they needed to clear their name so they could "bid"(bribe) on public contracts again.
So, the pipeline has to be stalled until they can get the legal loopholes in place to get their buddies back on the right side of the law. So approval gets postponed indefinitely waiting for this, the fact that Alberta and the ROC get to suffer and lose Billions through these delays is a small price to pay to line their own pockets.

Probably wanted to be able to make an announcement about the pipeline approval and award of construction in time for the election, hence the pressure applied.

Edit to add: How else to explain how they suddenly went from being vehemently opposed to pipelines, fossil fuels would be phased out, global warming is priority etc., to wasting the political capital in buying a pipeline, which all of their supporters are against? Has to be about following the money.


Another caller claimed to have been a contract engineer to SNC for many years, and stated that the corruption and bribery is rampant, and always has been.

[burnt]

So, is Quebec corrupt business practice "privilege" over?

Oh I'm sure it is.

The mob just rolls over and gives up that easily...

[burnt]

Third world corruption not as bad as this ??

Par.

Heard from someone who just came back from a business trip to Mexico where he learned from his host that if the police/mayor/whoever is cooperative with the traffickers,that public figure will get a slice of the drug profits and guaranteed safety for their family. Otherwise...

I guess we already knew that. Just startling hearing it firsthand.


So, how is it different here, other than the dollar amounts and the level of penetration into our governments?

[jazz]

For AF, this really states why we should separate. The west is never going to get a fair shake in Quebec.

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/politics/opinions-dont-count-justin-trudeau-out-just-yet/ar-BBUv6gn?ocid=spartanntp

[furrowtickler]

A caller into a radio show yesterday connected some dots on the Liberal scandals. Wasn't given much time, but I will embellish a little. Sounds conspiratorial, but after all that has come out lately, perhaps not that far off of the truth.

Liberals bought the Pipeline with the expectation that they would then generously give the contract for building it to their good buddies as SNC, with appropriate cost overruns and kickbacks, as a new and creative almost legal way to transfer more money from taxpayers and the west to Quebec, and back into Liberal coffers, pockets, and foundations.

But first they needed to clear their name so they could "bid"(bribe) on public contracts again.
So, the pipeline has to be stalled until they can get the legal loopholes in place to get their buddies back on the right side of the law. So approval gets postponed indefinitely waiting for this, the fact that Alberta and the ROC get to suffer and lose Billions through these delays is a small price to pay to line their own pockets.

Probably wanted to be able to make an announcement about the pipeline approval and award of construction in time for the election, hence the pressure applied.

Edit to add: How else to explain how they suddenly went from being vehemently opposed to pipelines, fossil fuels would be phased out, global warming is priority etc., to wasting the political capital in buying a pipeline, which all of their supporters are against? Has to be about following the money.


Another caller claimed to have been a contract engineer to SNC for many years, and stated that the corruption and bribery is rampant, and always has been.

Also in the mix was the little fact that the First Nations who mostly against the pipelines were also now to be part of the deal with part or whole ownership of the pipeline after SNC got the deal as you have laid out .
Great deal for Quebec , First Nations , Liberal votes ..... up until this fiasco .
Again .... the Rabbit hole is quite deep I think .

[AlbertaFarmer5]

Also in the mix was the little fact that the First Nations who mostly against the pipelines were also now to be part of the deal with part or whole ownership of the pipeline after SNC got the deal as you have laid out .
Great deal for Quebec , First Nations , Liberal votes ..... up until this fiasco .
Again .... the Rabbit hole is quite deep I think .

Yes, the caller didn't, and I didn't get into the native connection, but I suspect it is not a coincidence, that just like the Liberals, they were adamantly opposed to the pipeline until they suddenly were all in favour of it. And the fact that JWR quit over this issue makes one wonder who was holding who hostage? Perhaps she wanted it gifted to the native coalition in exchange for letting SNC off the hook?

Like I said before, if they want to uncover the bribery and corruption that is required for EVERY project in the vicinity of first nations, it will snowball in a hurry, while I would like to see it exposed and ended, there will be collateral damage.

[farmaholic]

Damn, I was hoping someone would have picked up on the word "privilege".

It was also a rehtorical sarcastic question to spark debate.

And by the sounds is it some of you think the problem is a chronic systemic problem....say it isn't so. There are checks and balances and watchdogs in place to prevent such nonsense.