QUEBEC - With rumours and allegations of corruption flying throughout Quebec, opposition leader Pauline Marois is outraged that the Premier is continuing to thwart calls for an inquiry into the construction industry.
Marois said Thursday that she does not believe the Charest government has a mandate to continue managing the province's affairs, given that even the Quebec Federation of Labour has now joined the chorus of citizens, unions, and various other groups demanding an inquiry.
"Your fellow citizens are demanding an inquiry. We want the light to be shone into dark corners. We want to know the truth!" said Marois during Thursday's question period.
"[Marois] is muddying the waters by attempting to link unrelated items," said Charest, in what was a session that was frequently stopped by the speaker of the house because of rude behaviour.
"We have to let police do the job they have been assigned to do."
Marois announced she will introduce a motion of censure against Jean Charest to be debated next week in the National Assembly.
In the unlikely event the motion passes, Marois will use the opportunity to call for a vote of non-confidence.
Charest has repeatedly said that he does not want an inquiry to look into allegations of corruption in the construction industry while police are looking into the matter.
Last year the Surete du Quebec created "Operation Hammer" for that purpose.
Charest is scheduled to be in France next week, but even so the censure motion is unlikely to ever be adopted given the Liberal party has a solid majority in the National Assembly.
However Marois is holding out hope that Liberals may be willing to break ranks.
"I ask the members of the National Assembly from the Liberal party to go to the population this weekend and see what the population has to say to their MNA," said Marois.
