QUEBEC CITY – The provincial government will implement some of the recommendations laid out by the Charbonneau Commission, which investigated corruption in Quebec’s construction industry.
Justice Minister Stephanie Vallée announced Thursday Quebec’s Liberal party is putting 17 recommendations into action to combat corruption, following the Charbonneau report released Nov. 2015.
This spring, Quebec will create a public markets authority to oversee the awarding of public contracts.
READ MORE: Petition launched calling for public inquiry into corruption in Quebec’s IT industry
An independent expert committee will also review contracts for road work.
“It’s kind of perilous for us to say ‘this is the date when all the recommendations will be met,” said Vallée.
The justice minister said putting all 60 recommendations in place is “considerable” work and so, there’s no timeline.
The announcement comes on the heels of the arrest of former cabinet minister and deputy premier Nathalie Normandeau on corruption charges.
A Léger poll commissioned by several Quebec newspapers found public cynicism is high: 61 per cent of Quebecers believe there is as much corruption now as there was before the Charbonneau Commission began.
READ MORE: Former Quebec deputy premier Nathalie Normandeau arrested in anti-corruption sweep
Quebec’s auditor general pointed to signs of corruption in the awarding of I.T. contracts.
Global News recently reported 18 organizations, including Quebec’s public sector unions, are calling for a public inquiry in the industry.
Government Administration Minister Sam Hamad declined several requests for an interview to address the specific concerns of the I.T. industry.
During Thursday’s press conference, he said the fight against all government corruption continues.
Opposition parties are calling for the government to go further.
The Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) wants any money collected illegally by political parties before 1996 to be reimbursed.
“Right now, it’s five years. That means all dirty money collected before 2011, the parties are not required to reimburse this dirty money,” said CAQ leader François Legault.
The Minister responsible for the reform of democratic institutions shot back.
“It seems to sound like all money collected was improperly collected, which is not really based on fact,” said Rita de Santis.
“There may be allegations, but there’s no true confirmation of that.”