With each new revelation of corruption in Quebec, Premier Jean Charest’s position has become increasingly untenable.
First, there were allegations of corruption around on the awarding of government contracts –specifically in the construction industry. Now, the rot appears to have spread to a number of municipal governments.
Yet, still the Premier has shown no signs of changing course – he still refuses to call a public inquiry. It’s an issue that goes beyond Mr. Charest’s integrity. It strikes at the heart of the Quebec Liberal Party’s future.
The mood inside the party
During last weekend’s Quebec Liberal Party meeting, Martin Drapeau, a party delegate, took his turn at the microphone during a routine debate and proposed a public inquiry be held. The room, filled with close to 600 delegates, went silent. If there was ever a moment for the leader to argue against an inquiry and make the case in favour of police investigations, it was then.
But not a single delegate dared get up and second the motion. And days later that silence, that refusal to even debate the issue within a regular party forum, continues to resonate throughout the province.
The mood in Quebec
Mr. Charest’s silence stands in deep contrast to the loud indignation Quebeckers are expressing over the scandal.
The public’s frustration is being expressed on the National Assembly website where a petition sponsored by Quebec Solidaire MNA Amir Khadir is calling for Mr. Charest’s resignation. After only three days, the count is closing in on 200,000 signatures – at one point it was gathering 3,000 signatures an hour.
Lost allies, lost cause
This week, the government lost an important ally when the Quebec Federation of Labour jumped ship and joined the ranks of those demanding a probe into the corruption allegations.
The president of the QFL, Michel Arsenault, was left with no choice. It had become embarrassing for the labour organization to side with the government’s alleged unethical practices while its members demanded a full public inquiry.
Even the QFL’s construction unions, recently accused of collusion with the mafia and forced to clean house following the allegation, joined the chorus of fellow labour unions and other groups to demand an inquiry.
The great fear
Liberals worry the party’s reputation will be tainted beyond repair as a result of a public inquiry, regardless of its mandate.
Even the Bastarache commission, which was set-up to examine a specific issue regarding alleged influence peddling in the nomination of judges, devolved into debating the misdeeds of party fundraisers at all levels of government.
The provincial Liberals can’t help but wonder what the impact of embarrassing testimony at a public inquiry would have on the party after witnessing the negative effects the Gomery inquiry into the sponsorship scandal in Ottawa continues to have on the Liberal Party of Canada in Quebec.
A public inquiry that would examine the awarding of government contracts, party financing and the infiltration of organized crime in the construction industry would place the Liberals on the defensive and more than likely lead to certain defeat in the next election campaign.
The future, the gamble
In the event of a Parti Québécois victory, which could lead to the holding of another referendum on sovereignty, a crippled Liberal Party whose integrity was challenged by a public inquiry would be seriously weakened in its ability to be a credible voice for federalism.
The Liberals are holding their ground knowing the stakes are too high for Mr. Charest to bow to public pressure. The Liberal Leader is gambling that over time, his government will weather the current storm in the hopes that the political agenda will evolve and the public’s attention will move on to other issues.
It’s a risk Mr. Charest believes is worth taking.
