Two-and-a-half years after the first witness took the stand, the final witness has appeared before the Charbonneau Commission into corruption in the construction industry.
The last witness was Michel Forget, a forensic accountant from Hydro Quebec in charge of investigating corruption and collusion.
According to Forget, Hydro Quebec keeps a clean house, and none of the three witnesses from the utility could identify any acts of corruption committed at Hydro's worksites.
Forget said Hydro Quebec has an anonymous tipline for reporting dubious acts -- and said over the past nine years it averaged nine calls each year.
"With those nine calls, in about a quarter of them we could confirm the allegations brought to our attention. Twenty-five percent, so that's one in four that are founded," said Forget.
Hydro Quebec does have its own internal security department which investigates alleged wrongdoing, but is mostly occupied with employees claiming they have worked when they have not.
And with that, the public hearing phase of the Charbonneau commission is over.
But there is much more to come.
With the overwhelming evidence of collusion in the construction industry, beginning Monday the commission will hear recommendations on how to stop corruption.
The Inquiry is expected to hear from unions, Revenue Quebec, the Competition Bureau and UPAC with ideas about what can be done to eliminate or reduce the effects of those trying to skim from public coffers.
