New conflict of interest allegations surface against Quebec transport minister

More allegations have surfaced against Quebec Transport Minister Laurent Lessard.

A community housing project where his wife works was given a $12 million grant, and the former municipal affairs minister is accused of possibly having something to do with it.

READ MORE: Parti Québécois calls for Quebec Transport Minister to resign again

The claim points out that a company that runs community housing for seniors and people with disabilities did not usually receive many government grants — but during the time Lessard was in office between 2009 and 2012, it did.

READ MORE: Parti Québécois calls for Quebec Transport Minister to resign again

The opposition is calling for Premier Philippe Couillard to remove him from cabinet temporarily, saying there are serious questions about his judgment.

They want Lessard to step aside until the ethics commissioner has finished investigating what appears to be a series of conflicts of interest.

READ MORE: Quebec premier shuffles cabinet after transport minister resignation

Over the last two weeks, Lessard was also accused of approving government grants for a former employee and friend.

The accusations have called the Couillard government’s ethics into question once again.

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READ MORE: Liberals vote against asking former Quebec transport minister Jacques Daoust to testify in Rona hearing

Parti Québécois (PQ) interim leader Sylvain Gaudreault called it “groundhog day,” arguing the premier is slow to react to any sort of ethical question in his cabinet.

Members of the party pointed out the cases of former treasury board president Sam Hamad and former transport minister Jacques Daoust as examples.

READ MORE: UPAC, Auditor General investigate falsified documents in Quebec’s transport ministry

“During the time that we ask for an inquiry by the Vérificateur général du Québec, we ask that Minister Lessard take off from the Conseil des ministres,” said Simon Jolin-Barrette, with the Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ).

READ MORE: Quebec treasury board president Sam Hamad steps down amid ethics investigation

Liberal House leader Jean-Marc Fournier argued the opposition has crossed a line.

Lessard is in Toronto Wednesday for a meeting with other transport ministers.