A co-commissioner of the Charbonneau Commission into corruption in the construction industry is breaking his silence.
Critics have been harsh toward Renaud Lachance over the past week, ever since emails about his correspondence and critiques of the corruption inquiry's final report were leaked to the media.
On Monday evening Lachance answered his critics, saying they have no right to question his integrity or his political neutrality.
In an open letter he notes he was auditor general during the Charest government and was never accused of going easy on the Liberal party at the time. He added he is not nor has even been a member of any political party.
The inquiry's final report is about 1,700 pages, and Lachance's final remarks in the document are rather brief compared to the inquiry's leader, France Charbonneau.
Lachance disagreed with Charbonneau in some key areas, notably in establishing a direct link between provincial political party financing and the granting of provincial government contracts.
In his letter Lachance said he does have some regrets regarding the corruption inquiry and how effective it will be in solving corruption in Quebec.
There was a third commissioner, Roderick Macdonald, who died of throat cancer midway through the Commission's hearings. Lachance said the Commission's work would have gone more smoothly had Macdonald been replaced.
Lachance said his critics should instead devote their energies to supporting the commission's recommendations for reforming the system..
