Canadian Prime Minister worries about job losses at heart of SNC-Lavalin case

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, accused of pressuring his former justice minister to try to prevent a large construction company from avoiding a corruption lawsuit, said expresses concern over possible job losses.

"One of the fundamental responsibilities of any government is to look for good jobs, to defend jobs and to ensure that our economy grows so as to give everyone a real and fair chance," he said. Trudeau to reporters in St John's, Newfoundland. asked about his conversations with the then Minister of Justice, July Wilson-Raybould.

Trudeau's remarks were among the most detailed to date to explain a case that is prejudicing his Liberal government before the October election.

Trudeau denies February 7 report in the Globe and Mail that officials have put undue pressure on Wilson-Raybould to help SNC-Lavalin Group avoid a corruption lawsuit and pay a fine square.

SNC-Lavalin is a big employer in the populous province of Quebec, where the Liberals say they must win seats to have the slightest chance of winning a majority of the elections.

After the Director of Public Prosecutions of Canada decided on September 4 that the trial should continue, Trudeau and senior officials raised the case three times with Wilson-Raybould, who had the authority to rescind the case. decision.

The company, which claims that the leaders accused of wrongdoing have gone and reformed the ethics and compliance systems, said a lawsuit could be devastating and was brought to justice in an attempt to overturn the judgment.

Wilson-Raybould, who resigned last month after being demoted to the Minister of Veterans Affairs in January, said nothing. She has to go to the justice committee of the House of Commons next week.

Opposition politicians accuse the government of covering up the facts and calling for a public inquiry.

Michael Wernick, the head of the non-partisan Canadian public service, said on Thursday that he contacted Wilson-Raybould on December 19 to discuss fears about what might happen in a lawsuit, but denied having improperly lobbied.

"(I) conveyed the context that many people were worried about what was going to happen, the consequences, not for her, but for the workers, the communities and the suppliers," he told the committee. of Justice.