Quebec responds to construction scandal with promise to legislate
October 31st, 2009 | 
Author: The Quebec government says it will table legislation to clean up municipal politics.
The province’s municipal affairs minister tells The Canadian Press that he’s bothered by the flood of allegations of corruption in local governance.
Laurent Lessard says he will start holding meetings with elected officials right after Sunday’s municipal elections, to discuss three things.
He wants to meet with those new officials and union heads to discuss ethics, handling complaints, and awarding contracts.
Quebec has been rocked by a scandal over illicit relationships between Montreal-area politicians, construction companies and the Italian Mafia.
There are allegations of construction companies colluding to inflate the price of building projects, intimidating anyone who doesn’t play along, sharing profits with the Mob, and illegally funding political parties.
Lessard says the scandal has harmed the reputation of all politicians, and says he wants to create more rigid rules for handling complaints.
The provincial government has created a special police unit to investigate the allegations, but has resisted calls for a public inquiry.
A major workers’ union, the Quebec Federation of Labour, has also weighed in against an inquiry, saying police should handle the issue.
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