Last week, Albertans learned the City of Calgary finalized its contract with Montreal-based engineering giant SNC-Lavalin as part of the group of contractors to oversee the first phase of its proposed $5.5 billion Green Line transit system..You heard that right: the largest infrastructure project in Calgary’s history is to be overseen by a company that's been mired in controversy, convicted of bribery and most memorably, was the central player in the ‘SNC Lavalin affair’ of 2019. That was when the Office of the Prime Minister was found guilty of breaking the Conflict of Interest Act by trying to influence then-attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould’s decision to prosecute the company for bribery. (All in the name of preserving eastern jobs)..The commissioner found Trudeau guilty of unfairly trying to pressure Wilson-Raybould, who shocked the nation with her resignation. Meanwhile, Trudeau’s principal secretary, Gerald Butts, also resigned while Trudeau carries on business as usual. For many, the whole debacle was the final straw of tolerance for Trudeau’s already ethically problematic leadership.. SNC-LavalinCredit: on-site mag .If you’re among the Albertans who are puzzled an eastern company riddled in such a laundry list of controversy would be the one chosen to build this important piece of public transit, you are not the minority. Social media has erupted with outrage. After all, it was only last year that SNC was ordered to pay $30-million to Quebec to settle criminal bribery charges over bridge work in Montreal. And while it's not to SNC Lavalin's account, let us not forget the Quebec government was expropriating Alberta companies, while continuing to block and barricade our energy, thereby putting our prosperity at risk..We have no reason to doubt SNC Lavalin's competence. But, it's all a bit much to swallow. Were there no Alberta contractors fit to take on the job? And if there weren't, could we not have found a contractor from another more energy-friendly jurisdiction than Quebec?.Actually, one wonders if the Calgary city council might even be a little sheepish about their choice..This week, an update on the Green Line was brought before council. While the city maintains they announced their partners last fall, don’t be surprised if the name ‘SNC Lavalin’ didn’t hit your radar. At the time, the city announced their delivery partner was CSIX Partners. However, in addition to Aldea Services Inc., Altus Group, Mott MacDonald and Turner & Townsend, this group includes... ummm... SNC Lavalin. .Ward 13 Councillor Dan McLean pushed for transparency on behalf of concerned Calgarians about the involvement of SNC Lavalin. McLean told reporters he was satisfied with the administration's commitment to make public the contracts given to SNC Lavalin and details on the procurement process (with confidential details redacted). It was confirmed at the council meeting elected officials were not involved in procurement process or selection of contractors..Time will tell..Here at Alberta Proud, we believe in low taxes, smaller government and, of course, full government transparency. We also believe part of building our path toward prosperity means more autonomy for Albertans. We need less Ottawa and more Alberta and we need to lay the hammer down when it comes to the East profiting from our province and from our best-in-the-world energy that they so frequently look down upon. And as long as Quebec continues to block our pipelines and expropriate our companies through their bizarre hydrocarbon ban, we say no way! There is no way we should be letting Quebec companies operate and profit in our province while this is taking place..As a ‘P3 project’, meaning the project is funded by all three levels of government, we believe that absolute transparency is owed to Calgarians, to Albertans, on this project — on all projects requiring taxpayer dollars..While we would likely get the ‘it’s too late in the process’ line, we're going on record to say should any suspect information be revealed by way of publicly producing these documents requested by Coun. McLean, we will call on Premier Danielle Smith and the UCP to turn on the red light, rather than green, on the funding..After all, if now isn’t the time to stand up for Albertans on the largest infrastructure project in our biggest city, when will it be?.Lindsay Wilson is president of Alberta Proud
