MONTREAL – After months of accusations that his government is "scandal-ridden," Premier Jean Charest has shot back in a rare interview, saying the allegations have no basis in fact.
"There is no case," Charest told CBC Radio’s political program The House during the weekend. "There is none."
Charest said that Parti Quebecois leader Pauline Marois is more daunting to deal with than the PQ under Lucien Bouchard, Bernard Landry, Andre Boisclair or two interim leaders, Francois Gendron and Louise Harel.
"Simply put, Madame Marois is applying the scorched-earth policy," Charest said.
"She has decided that she will do everything or anything that she thinks she has to do to be able to cause damage," he added. "Including allegations that are false, not founded.
"There is no scandal, frankly," the premier said.
"They want to do to me what they did to Robert Bourassa in 1976 when they accused him of all the worst scandals in the world.
"If they repeat the word often enough, their hope is that it will stick."
Radio-Canada’s Enquete program has floated allegations, often quoting anonymous sources, that there is corruption in awarding government construction contracts and collusion to rig bids.
A combined police task force, called Operation Hammer, has led to a few minor charges, leading Charest and his ministers to downplay the allegations.
But in addition to the PQ, mayors across the province and unions representing Crown prosecutors, police and engineers involved in construction projects have called for a public inquiry, suggesting there is a system of corruption involving construction firms, unions and elected officials.
The PQ has also correlated donations to the Quebec Liberals from party backers and others who won government-subsidized private daycare places.
Former family minister Tony Tomassi was forced to resign in an unrelated matter, when it came to light that Luigi Coretti, who ran a private-security firm that won government contracts, paid Tomassi’s gasoline bills.
Charest did call a public inquiry in April into allegations by his former justice minister Marc Bellemare that he was forced by party fundraisers to name Liberal supporters as judges.
"Now that we have called an inquiry, she is saying there should be no inquiry," Charest said.
Charest was elected to his third term on Dec. 8, 2008, and there has been speculation he will resign as premier before the next election.
The premier has said he would like to run one more time.
"I think five is a good number," Charest said during the program.
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