MAY 10 1995 SHAREHOLDER MEETING AND JOB APPLICATIONS TO SNC DURING APRIL AND MAY 1995: more questionable behaviour by Guy Saint-Pierre. Then he announces his resignation. There is also speculation about his re-entering politics.
This started with a recruiting advertisement which SNC-Lavalin placed in the "Calgary Herald" newspaper on April 8th 1995. They were looking for – quote - Specialists in Rotating equipment (Pumps, compressors….. – unquote - to work on oil and gas–related projects.
The year before I had investigated and recommended solutions to a problem with a 1000 h.p. mains water supply pump at the Britannia Water Purification Plant in Ottawa ( the unit known as High Lift Pump no. 8), which was suffering from a rare and little-researched problem
This, along with other things in my background and resume, seemed to constitute a very good opportunity to achieve a satisfactory settlement with Guy Saint-Pierre and SNC-Lavalin, after the failure 2 years previously. There was a specific job to target, unlike before, which meant that I could propose much simpler settlement terms.
I applied for the job by FAX on Wednesday, April 12th at 8:06 p.m. Ottawa time, just after the deadline of Tuesday April 11th because the Calgary Heraldnewspaper was not available in Ottawa until very late that day.
I received an acknowledgement dated April 13th from SNC Lavalin’s Marvin B. Dickau, Senior Human Resources Administrator. Considering my insistence on being considered and the lateness of my application (but relative to an over-tight deadline), this was a good initial response.
Also on that day I wrote to Guy Saint-Pierre – President and C.E.O. of SNC-Lavalin – in Montreal – and also to Mr. Laframboise at the security firm involved two years before, suggesting he might like to mediate between me and Guy Saint-Pierre to work out a deal.
I wrote to Guy Saint-Pierre a second time on April 18th, by FAX, pointing out my recent work on pumps and how insufficient time was allowed by SNC-Lavalin for some people to respond to the recruiting advertisement already referred to.
I sent him a reminder, again by FAX, on Friday May 5th – just 5 days before the annual shareholder meeting due to be held in Montreal on the 10th , which I then attended.
At the shareholder meeting on Wednesday May 10th I was met by Mr. Laframboise, like the occasion two years before. He told me that he had been given instructions to bar me from the meeting, even though I was a shareholder and could prove it. I explained to him that this was illegal and showed him the "From Potential to Prosperity: Human Resources in the Canadian Consulting Engineering Industry" report which SNC-Lavalin had been involved in preparing, between September 1993 and September 1994. He agreed to talk to SNC again.
On returning to Ottawa following the 1995 shareholder meeting, I saw that SNC-Lavalin had advertised again – in the Calgary Herald, as before, a few days before the meeting - on Saturday May 6th. This time, it was for - quote - Pump Specialists / Mechanical Engineers –unquote – and without the absurdly tight deadline in the ad. referred to above. I told Mr. Laframboise about this right away, by FAX on May 15th, because for me to go and work for SNC-Lavalin in this capacity then looked an even better opportunity for striking a satisfactory deal.
I had at least one conversation with Mr. Laframboise after this, during which he raised the possibility of involving an outplacement firm, like the occasion two years before – such as Desroches, Wallace, Bond Inc., as part of a settlement deal. However I told him I saw this solution as unnecessarily complex when the far simpler solution just described had offered itself.
However I then had a letter from SNC-Lavalin's Marvin B. Dickau dated May 24th, in which he said – quote -…we regret that we are unable to consider your application…--unquote
On Tuesday May 30th, I sent a FAX to Mr. Dickau asking him to re-consider, stating my reasons. On the same day I sent a FAX to Mr. Laframboise informing him about this unsatisfactory turn of events.
The end result of all this: nothing.
The only possible explanation for this outcome, in my view, is that Guy Saint-Pierre was only interested in looking tough, within his owen little clique, to cover his ass, and playing a little political game to that end. His attitude could apparently be summed up as one which says - quote - ….if we can get away with FABRICATING AN IMPRESSION of doing something, then that will be good enough. It does not matter if he gets a job or not…. The thing is to GET RID OF HIM somehow. - unquote
GUY SAINT-PIERRE ALSO ANNOUNCED HIS INTENTION TO STEP DOWN AS
PRESIDENT AND C.E.O. OF SNC-LAVALIN, ON TUESDAY MARCH 12TH 1996, WHICH HE THEN
DID AT THE NEXT ANNUAL SHAREHOLDER MEETING ON MAY 8TH 1996
The question was, why? And if he had attempted to go into
politics, as some people suggested he might, he would have been vulnerable to
exposure on account of questionable behaviours described
here and elsewhere on this site. Possibly that is why he never in fact did
attempt to go into politics again, notwithstanding his previous experience in
it and known long-term interest in it.
See this March 12, 1996,
"Globe and Mail" article about him