A majority of Canadians are not happy with SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. (TSX:SNC) and want to see the company fully prosecuted on corruption charges related to its business in Libya.
According to a new report by the Angus Reid Institute, 63% of Canadians want to see SNC-Lavalin Group prosecuted for its dealings in Libya. The survey results come as the nation waits to hear Jody Wilson-Raybould’s side of the story regarding accusations that the Prime Minister’s Office pressured the former Attorney General not to pursue a criminal prosecution of the Quebec engineering firm.
SNC-Lavalin Group was charged in 2015 for allegedly bribing Libyan officials to win contracts in that country. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has denied the accusations that he – or anyone else in his government – pressured Wilson-Raybould to help SNC-Lavalin Group, but has acknowledged his government discussed the issue to avoid job losses at the company, which employs about 9,000 people across Canada.
On Monday, Trudeau cleared Wilson-Raybould to tell some of her account by partially waiving solicitor-client privilege, which has prevented her from speaking on the matter publicly.
The survey shows a correlation between political preference and opinion on the SNC saga. Almost all respondents who said they would vote Conservative in an election held tomorrow stated that they think there is more to the scandal (95%), while the majority of Liberal supporters feel it has been overblown (72%).
The accusations against the Prime Minister’s Office have led to the resignation of Trudeau’s top aide, Gerald Butts, who stepped down as the principal secretary, and has impacted Canadians’ view of the Prime Minister. A majority of respondents to the poll (59%) said their opinion of Trudeau has worsened over the last month.
The survey was conducted online between February 21 and 24 among 1,009 Canadian adults.
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