Legal expert Andrew Roman digs deep into the bombshell report on the SNC-Lavalin affair issued by Canada’s Ethics Commissioner, Mario Dion, and criticisms of that report by Errol Mendes, a professor of constitutional and international law at the University of Ottawa. Who was right, who was wrong? Read on.
Why Canada needs to disentangle itself from a bullying China
Opinion: The likelihood that we are on the cusp of a new cold war must factor into our economic decision-making. In this opinion piece for the National Post, Patricia Adams of Probe International asks: “Would it have been prudent for Canada to cast its lot with the Soviet Union in the 1950s, when the geopolitical winds were blowing belligerent?”
A deadly 6.0 magnitude earthquake hits China’s big-dam country, Jinsha River valley
A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck Sichuan province in southwest China late Monday night, followed by a series of aftershocks measuring over magnitude 5.0 reports China’s official Xinhua news agency. Historical data indicates the event is an unprecedented one for the area.
In Hong Kong, a publisher struggles to document Tiananmen’s Carnage
“Authors are afraid to publish. Publishers are afraid to continue doing business. Distributors are also afraid. Bookstores are diminishing and people there are afraid, too. So are the buyers, of course. It’s […]
See no evil: How Canada is bankrolling companies accused of bid-rigging, graft and human-rights violation
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”.
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.”
Probe International 