A Globe and Mail investigation of Export Development Canada (EDC) reveals “a pattern of secrecy and lax supervision”. Probe International’s Patricia Adams says EDC is an unaccountable “institution out of control”.
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What does EDC do? A guide to ‘Canada’s secret trade weapon’

Here’s what you need to know about the most powerful financial institution you almost never hear about.
Deng Xiaoping in 1989

On the 30th anniversary of Beijing’s June 4, 1989, Tiananmen Square massacre, Probe International Fellow, environmental activist and China’s best-known investigative journalist, Dai Qing, delves deeper into the events leading up to and following the shocking and brutal crackdown that rocked a country on the brink of massive political reform and social change. A book that works as a retrospective documentary in affect, Deng Xiaoping in 1989 challenges the black-and-white dichotomies of “autocracy vs. democracy” and “government vs. students,” including correspondence from military generals who opposed the crackdown, soldiers’ experiences and eyewitness accounts of the “Tank Man,” the unidentified protester who stared down a column of tanks rolling through Tiananmen Square the morning after troops had opened fire on thousands of civilians – an iconic image of resistance since immortalized as a global symbol of pro-democracy protest.
Asset Recovery in OGP: Peer-learning on recovery, return and monitoring – lessons from the field
The 6th Open Government Partnership (OGP) Global Summit begins this week in Ottawa. Probe International’s Patricia Adams will moderate a discussion on identifying good practices and challenges in assets return and the promotion of peer-learning in assets recovery and monitoring. Organized by the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) and the MacArthur Foundation.
No sunshine needed: EDC’s response to our request for transparency
Export Development Canada responds to Probe International’s inquiry regarding allegations of bribery related to its support of SNC-Lavalin’s Matala Dam project in Angola. Not a reassuring read. According to EDC, we the […]
Export Development Canada investigation into SNC-Lavalin
The news EDC is to investigate allegations that its support of SNC-Lavalin’s Matala Dam project in Angola was used to pay bribes has us on pins and needles. How thorough will the investigation be? Will we ever learn the results?
What the SNC board may have known about the firm’s dealings in Libya — like the office safe with $10M cash
High-paid former directors could face tough questions if SNC-Lavalin bribery trial goes ahead. “What’s your role on the board if not to protect the corporation from acts of bribery and from doing things that are illegal?” asks Patricia Adams of Probe International.
SNC-Lavalin: Power and politics

Legal expert Andrew Roman joins host Vassy Kapelos on Power & Politics (CBC News) to provide legal analysis of the SNC-Lavalin case.
The last straw and the pipeline
Governments have often made decisions based on impulse rather than reason. A classic example is the fallacy of “the last straw”. Legal expert Andrew Roman looks at pipeline-related issues and environmental decision-making.
Bill C-69: Why retain the worst mistake of the 2012 Act?
“Good ideas that are badly implemented don’t make good laws. Without major amendments it is unlikely that there will be any new pipeline or electricity transmission proposals under C-69.” Read legal expert Andrew Roman’s hard-hitting and thoughtful presentation to the Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources conducting hearings on the Trudeau government’s Bill C-69, which proposes to fundamentally change the way resource projects are reviewed and approved.
SNC-Lavalin insider’s bribery allegations spark probe by Crown agency that loaned the firm billions
Export Development Canada launches review of 2011 deal with engineering company. This CBC News report includes comments from Patricia Adams of Probe International who says if there’s any truth to the allegations EDC money was used for bribes, it implicates all Canadians: “[EDC] operates on the Queen’s credit card. That means that it operates on our credit cards.”
Confidence in the justice system rests on ‘SNC-Lavalin going to trial’: Economist Patricia Adams

Patricia Adams, economist and executive director at Probe International, joins BNN Bloomberg to discuss why she thinks SNC-Lavalin must go through a criminal probe if Canadians are “ever to know who did what” in the case.
It’s your decision …
The Prime Minister‘s real message was: “You can either do what I want or you can do what you want. The decision is yours.” Third in a series on the SNC-Lavalin controversy by Andrew Roman.
Rumours of death: the panic over SNC-Lavalin
Did the Prime Minister’s Office panic over SNC-Lavalin’s story of impeding doom? Or did they have real numbers showing the future effects of a criminal prosecution? Second in a series by Andrew Roman.
The Prime Minister and the Attorney General
The recent controversy between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and former Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould over the prosecution of SNC-Lavalin has been front-page news for days. Was this a casual conversation or improper interference with the administration of justice? This blog post by former lawyer Andrew Roman discusses the issues from a legal standpoint. The bottom line: there is no law prohibiting either of them from speaking publicly about their conversation.