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Trudeau’s submission to the ethics commissioner says that his relationship with Wilson-Raybould “had become challenging and tense.”

“Trudeau was concerned with the significant friction between Wilson-Raybould and the Prime Minister’s Office and the friction between her and her cabinet colleagues,” the report reads.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau also told the ethics commissioner’s office that he didn’t think Wilson-Raybould had done her “due diligence” on the economic effects of the decision not to strike a deal with SNC-Lavalin.

The ‘Plan B’ PowerPoint

Representatives from SNC-Lavalin and officials in the finance department teamed up on a PowerPoint presentation that the company planned to submit to the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, arguing that a deferred prosecution was in the public interest.

According to the ethics report, that presentation also outlined the company’s “Plan B,” in the event of a prosecution. SNC-Lavalin would be broken up and two new companies would be created out of the parts. Three “possibly convicted” entities would form the first group, based in Canada and heading toward an “eventual wind-up.”

“The other group would be made up of parts of the SNC-Lavalin Group that had no role in the wrongful behaviour and would be reconstituted and headquartered in another jurisdiction,” the report reads.

In November, SNC-Lavalin ramped up its communications with government officials, with the company warning the prime minister’s office it “was close to escalating measures” to prepare for the “Plan B.”