The second opposition party in Quebec wants a crackdown on bad bureaucrats.
The Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) says there are no consequences for civil servants who don’t do their jobs. Instead of being fired, the CAQ says civil servants are being moved around.
“It’s about the lack of accountability,” said CAQ MNA, Eric Caire, adding that incompetent employees exist everywhere, including government ministries.
“The question is what do we do with them?” Caire asked.
The CAQ said incompetent deputy ministers and other top officials are not often enough held responsible — and when they are, they aren’t fired, they’re just moved to another position.
READ MORE: Politicians outraged after damning auditor testimony about Transports Quebec corruption
This was the case, they say with deputy transport minister, Dominique Savoie. She lost her job in the spring of 2016 — opposition parties alleged she lied about altered documents and Transports Quebec contracts that never went to tender.
But soon after, Savoie found a new job in the premier’s office.
That’s part of the reason, Caire tabled a private member’s bill that would have the auditor general evaluate and rank the performance of top civil servant’s.
“We need someone absolutely neutral,” he said.
READ MORE: Transports Quebec suffers from breakdown in communication: auditor general
- B.C. officer alleged sexual assault, CSIS had her investigated
- Alberta to overhaul municipal rules to include sweeping new powers, municipal political parties
- Military judges don’t have divided loyalties, Canada’s top court rules
- Norad looking to NATO to help detect threats over the Arctic, chief says
However, the government says public servants should have a high level of job security.
“At the end of the day, the person who is responsible for the administration of his or her department is the minister himself,” said Treasury Board president, Pierre Arcand.
Arcand said people shouldn’t get the idea the government is partisan in all its hiring. For example, he said, the Parti Quebecois candidate in the recent Quebec City byelection was previously a civil servant in the ministry of energy.
READ MORE: CAQ captures Liberal stronghold in Quebec City byelection
“In the project, the CAQ has presented, there are all kinds of interventions on the part of the auditor general that is not necessary,” Arcand said.
The minister added that he doesn’t want to see a system where hired employees — partisan or not, take the fall for something an elected minister should ultimately be responsible for.
Comments