The Charbonneau Commission is turning its focus on how to prevent corruption in the future by hearing from the auditor-general of Montreal.
Jacques Bergeron had to explain why his office was incapable of detecting a system of collusion and price fixing that went on for decades.
Bergeron became Montreal’s auditor-general in 2009, and in his first report denounced the $350-million water-meter contract that former mayor Gerald Tremblay’s administration was about to award to Tony Accurso.
Bergeron paid a heavy price for exposing the scandal: his email account was hacked by the administration, and Tremblay tried to have him removed from his position.
Five years later, Tremblay left in disgrace, and Bergeron is still very much in place.
At the Charbonneau Commission into corruption, Bergeron had a tougher time explaining why his office failed to uncover years of corruption and collusion among contractors.
“We had a perfect storm,” he said. “Contractors were colluding among themselves on the outside, while on the inside, corrupt city workers kept it secret.”
“Even the chain of command was corrupted,” he added. Despite his staff of 29, the auditor was unable to expose what was going on.
“Nobody came forward. It's obvious people were afraid to speak up,” he said.
Among his recommendations, the auditor suggested:
- Additional protection for whistleblowers
- Training for all employees involved in the awarding of contracts
- Making city hall accountable for the auditor's findings
