Timeline

From Investigation to Cover-Up

February 2015
RCMP Charges SNC-Lavalin
The RCMP lays fraud and corruption charges against SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. and two subsidiaries for allegedly paying $47.7 million in bribes to Libyan officials (including associates of Muammar Gaddafi's regime) between 2001 and 2011, and defrauding Libyan organizations of approximately $129.8 million.
September 2018
DPA Regime Created — Bill C-74
Parliament passes amendments to the Criminal Code creating a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) regime — also called "remediation agreements." The legislation allows prosecutors to negotiate agreements with corporations facing criminal charges, avoiding trial in exchange for compliance conditions. SNC-Lavalin had actively lobbied for this legislative change. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) subsequently declined to offer SNC-Lavalin a DPA.
September 2018 — December 2018
PMO Pressure Campaign on Attorney General
Senior PMO officials, the Clerk of the Privy Council, and the Finance Minister's office engage in a sustained campaign to pressure Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould to override the DPP's decision and direct a DPA for SNC-Lavalin. Wilson-Raybould later testifies to at least 10 meetings and phone calls where she was pressured. She refuses to intervene, citing prosecutorial independence.
January 14, 2019
Wilson-Raybould Demoted
Wilson-Raybould is moved from Attorney General/Justice Minister to Veterans Affairs — widely interpreted as a demotion for refusing to comply with PMO pressure. She resigns from cabinet on February 12, 2019. Treasury Board President Jane Philpott resigns in solidarity on March 4, 2019.
February 27, 2019
Wilson-Raybould Testifies Before Committee
Wilson-Raybould testifies before the House of Commons Justice Committee, describing the sustained pressure campaign in detail. She names 11 officials who contacted her about the SNC-Lavalin file, including the PM, the Clerk of the Privy Council, the PM's senior advisor, and the Finance Minister's chief of staff. Her testimony is broadcast nationally.
August 14, 2019
Ethics Commissioner: PM Violated the Act
Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion finds that PM Trudeau contravened Section 9 of the Conflict of Interest Act by improperly seeking to influence the Attorney General's decision on the SNC-Lavalin prosecution. The finding is that the PM used his position to further SNC-Lavalin's private interests. This is the first finding of a sitting PM violating the Act.
December 2019
SNC-Lavalin Pleads Guilty — DPA for Subsidiary
SNC-Lavalin's construction division pleads guilty to a single fraud charge, paying a $280M fine. The parent company receives a DPA on the remaining charges — the outcome the PMO had pressured for from the beginning. The DPA allows SNC-Lavalin to continue bidding on federal contracts.

Evidence

Ethics Commissioner Ruling

"The evidence shows that Mr. Trudeau, directly and through his senior officials, used various means to exert influence over Ms. Wilson-Raybould. The authority of the Prime Minister and his office was used to circumvent, undermine and ultimately attempt to discredit the decision of the Director of Public Prosecutions."
— Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion, Trudeau II Report, August 14, 2019

Pattern Analysis

The Prosecution Interference Pattern

SNC-Lavalin → Lucki → Fox: Same Pattern, Different Actors

The SNC-Lavalin affair established the template: political pressure on independent officers, documented by ethics investigations, with no criminal consequences. The pattern repeats: RCMP Commissioner Lucki pressured investigators on Nova Scotia firearms data (confirmed by MCC sworn testimony). Deputy Minister Fox breached the COI Act at IRCC before being promoted to DND by PM Carney. Each instance: political interference documented, ethics violation found, zero criminal accountability.

The Accountability Gap — Documented Across TENET5

The SNC-Lavalin affair demonstrates that even when an Ethics Commissioner formally finds a sitting PM violated the law, the consequence is: an election (which the PM won), no criminal charges, and the corporation ultimately receiving the outcome it lobbied for. This establishes that political interference in criminal prosecution is functionally cost-free for the political actors involved. When combined with the Emergencies Act ruling (invocation found unreasonable, no consequences), the Bill C-70 registry (zero enforcement), and the CFNIS chain-of-command interference (zero senior convictions), the pattern is comprehensive: the accountability system documents violations but never enforces consequences.

Sources: Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion, "Trudeau II Report" (August 14, 2019); House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights — Wilson-Raybould testimony (February 27, 2019); Criminal Code of Canada, Part XXII.1 — Remediation Agreements; RCMP charges against SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. (February 2015); SNC-Lavalin Construction Inc. guilty plea (December 2019); Conflict of Interest Act (S.C. 2006, c. 9, s. 2) — Section 9. All data from official government records, parliamentary proceedings, and published Ethics Commissioner reports.