Former Montreal police chief and mayoralty candidate Jacques Duchesneau told the Charbonneau Commission that he was largely powerless to prevent bid-rigging in his role as anti-collusion watchdog.
He wasn't given a budget over his 18 months in his role and during the first few months didn't even have office space, forcing several of his staffers to work from home.
He said that even paycheques were slow in coming.
Nobody would talk to him without their boss' permission.
Duchesneau said he eventually learned that the Deputy Minister of Transport had written directive advising people not to talk to him, but that the instructions were revoked once he complained of them.
He testified that his work environment improved a few months after writing a 10-page letter outlining his grievances and meeting the Deputy Minister.
Duchesneau also said he informed then-Transport Minister Julie Boulet that he knew from his experience as a police chief battling organized crime, that criminals will go great lengths to destroy the reputations of their opponents.
He wrote a report after six months, on his own initiative. But he had trouble tabling the document, as he received many requests to alter the contests.
The contents of that report are expected to be revealed in his ongoing testimony Thursday.
ctvmontreal.ca
