Independent committee pushes for follow-through on Charbonneau recommendations

A group of lawyers,professors and political figures has created a non-partisan committee to keep track of whether the recommendations from the Charbonneau commission's report are being implemented by the province.

The committee will be helped by volunteers, including half a dozen people who carriedout research for the Charbonneaucommission.

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The group is worried that the 60 recommendations to prevent corruption schemes from developing withinthe constructionindustry and illegal party financing, releasedlastNovember, are not being acted upon.

In a letter made public today, the group saidin the days following the release of the commission's final report,the focus was on individual blame and the disagreement between co-commissionersFranceCharbonneauandRenaudLachance,rather than on the many recommendations to prevent corruption and collusion.

MartineValois, a law professor at UniversitdeMontral, said theCouillardgovernment has been dragging its feet.

"In March 2016, they said at a pressconference that they are studying the recommendations," she told a news conference.

"That leads us to ask when the study on a study will end."

What's worse, said members of the committee, is that it's unclear which recommendations the government considers a priority.

"Atsome point we need to do something,"said lawyerPaul Saint-PierrePlamondon. "Thepurpose [is]to get the government to tell us exactlywhich recommendations have been implemented and on which recommendations we're working, so we can do a follow up."

His colleague, political science professorDenis Saint-Martin, said the government has political reasons to keep quiet about the recommendations.

"The government is certainlynot enthusiastic about itbecause each time it has to implement a reform, it's kind of a reminder, a red flag, to the electorate:'Remember we were corrupt before, and that's why we need to do this,'" Saint-Martin said.

Headded that the goal is to get the public more involved in following the results of theCharbonneau commission's work, rather than simply leaving the work to politicians and bureaucrats.

Frequent updates promised

Thecommittee will release its first reporton how well the inquiry'srecommendations are being implementedonNov. 26, to mark the first anniversary of theCharbonneaureport.

It also intends to release updates every six months after that.

The groupis alsorequestingfinancial support fromQuebecersinorder to ensure itstays afloat. It has set up a website to keep the public informed of its findings, through which the public can make donations.

The public committee is formed of the following members:

• Luc Bgin, professor atl'Universit Laval and director oftheInstitut d'thique applique.
• PeterDent, president of Transparency International Canada.
• Gilles Ouimet, former Liberal MNA and president of the Quebec Bar.
• Paul Saint-Pierre Plamondon, lawyer and columnist.
• Peter Trent, mayor of Westmount.
• Denis Saint-Martin, professor in political science at the Universit de Montral.
• MartineValois, law professor at theUniversitdeMontral.