MONTREAL--Montreal's mayor has abruptly cancelled two public events, including what was to have been a major speech outlining his economic legacy, while his embattled administration is rocked by a corruption crisis.
The reason for the speech cancellation? According to an event organizer, it was because Mayor Gerald Tremblay feared his message would have been ignored.
The cancellations appeared unlikely to dissuade critics who accused Tremblay of no longer being morally capable of running the city.
They occurred with the clock ticking down to a crucial deadline: If the mayor quits before Nov. 3, one year ahead of the next municipal election, an early vote for the mayoralty will be held. If he quits afterward, according to provincial law, he can be replaced by city council without an election.
The repercussions of that deadline could be felt far outside the city. In Ottawa, Liberal MP Denis Coderre hinted strongly Wednesday that he planned to leave federal politics to run for mayor. He said he would remain in Ottawa for a few more months.
Events in Montreal, however, were moving quickly.
The mayor was a sudden no-show at a planned press conference on culture Wednesday. And he announced that he would not deliver a speech Friday on his legacy, which some had interpreted as his potential swan song after a decade in office.
"I spoke to Mr. Tremblay this morning. He called to tell me he preferred to cancel Friday's event," said organizer Michel Leblanc, the president of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal.
"The reality is that he thinks people aren't listening to his economic message. That's what he told me."
The events occurred one day after a witness testified at Quebec's public inquiry that Tremblay not only knew about illegal fundraising within his political party -- but actually ignored it.
The mayor's spokeswoman said the two cancellations were unrelated.
Martine Painchaud said the mayor still planned to deliver a speech, eventually, on his legacy and his vision for the future of Montreal. But it would occur at a later date. Why the rescheduling? "Because of the current situation," she said.
As for his no-show at Wednesday's press conference, she said there was a last-minute change in the mayor's agenda but did not elaborate.
While those events were unfolding Wednesday, a lawyer was launching a counterstrike on behalf of the mayor's party.
The lawyer for Tremblay's Union Montreal party attacked a witness's character during cross-examination Wednesday. He grilled witness Martin Dumont about an old shoplifting charge and his pornography viewing habits.
At one point an inquiry lawyer leapt out of his seat and said: "Now we're getting into a smear campaign."
The intensely personal questions came one day after that same witness, a former organizer for Union Montreal, told the inquiry that the mayor stood up and left a meeting when illegal election spending came up.
A lawyer for the party, Michel Dorval, challenged the witness's personal integrity during cross-examination. He said Dumont was fired for stealing food when he worked part-time at a grocery store in 1999.
Dumont admitted that he was charged with shoplifting and said he received an absolution after pleading guilty.
Later the lawyer suggested that, in 2004, Dumont was forced to switch jobs because he was caught viewing pornographic material while working at city hall. He was a special youth adviser to the mayor at the time.
Dumont replied that, in fact, he left city hall to work for Tremblay's Union Montreal party as a political organizer because it was a promotion. His salary went from $50,000 to $65,000.
He suggested the pornography incident didn't phase his superiors all that much.
"Out of respect for the mayor I offered my resignation," Dumont said.
"It was refused."
Dumont later went on to work in federal politics, as an official in several ministerial offices and in Prime Minister Stephen Harper's office. Dumont pointed out today that he passed the RCMP security clearance before being hired by the federal government.
At one point Wednesday, commission head France Charbonneau interjected and said Dorval had gone too far.
Later in the day, the inquiry heard from a civil servant -- the second who has come forward at the inquiry to admit to participating in widespread corruption schemes.
Luc Leclerc admitted to skimming about 25 per cent from the inflated bills construction companies charged on public projects. He said he spent about $500,000 in ill-gotten cash over the years.
He also testified that he golfed several times with Mafia boss Vito Rizzuto and called the Cosa Nostra don a charming and funny travel companion. Leclerc also admitted that Mafia-linked construction companies did work at his house and he never paid for it.
He called the bribes a poisoned chalice. He said all that dirty money was difficult to spend. He gave back $90,000 to authorities before testifying at the inquiry.
