Francois Legault is proposing a package of measures in order to end the "corruption and waste" in government.

At a press briefing before the Quebec City courthouse, the head of the Future Coalition (CAQ) has announced that his first task as premier would be to table a bill on the “integrity of public life."

The promise is similar to one made six years ago by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, but Legault denied that he was duplicating a maneuver that helped lead the PM to get elected, although several of those measures advanced by the CAQ were similar to that of the Accountability Act adopted in Ottawa in 2006.

The CAQ bill would – not unlike Harper’s legislation -- tighten lobbying rules, the awarding of government contracts and the funding of political parties, while ensuring better protection for employees who witness irregularities as part of their duties.

In addition, the bill would create the position of parliamentary budget director, a post that already exists in Washington and Ottawa.

He said that the changes are needed even though it would not make his future job as premier any easier.

The bill would prevent companies from lobbying after the publication of a tender, under pain of stiff fines.

It would also extend the auditor general’s powers to all crown corporations, including Hydro-Quebec and Caisse de Depot.

The CAQ would give municipalities the option to cancel a call for tenders when the bids submitted by contractors come in too high. Contractors would also have to disclose and justify cost overruns.

The CAQ would also raise wages of government engineers, to slow the flight to the private sector.

According to Laval-des-Rapides CAQ candidate Maud Cohen, who was until recently President of the Professional Engineers of Quebec, the wage gap between government and private employers totaled at least $30,000 year.

Legault would not specify how much of a raise it would offer, but said that it would be negotiated with the union of engineers.

The bill would also reduce the $1,000 annual maximum political contribution to $100 and reduce the ceiling each party can raise from $11 to $4 million.

The proposal would also fix election dates.

Legault also said that he was not going to pursue a separatist path.

“Sovereignty is out of question forever,” he said of the CAQ’s agenda.
 

-With a file from The Canadian Press