The liberal mna Gaétan Barrette denounce the government’s refusal to hear the ex-attorney of the deputy chief of the Charbonneau commission, Denis Gallant.
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June 8, 2020 17h37
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PL61: the opposition parties are not reassured despite the discourse of Legault
Caroline
The Canadian Press
The opposition was far from being reassured, on Monday, the first day of public consultations on the draft law 61, despite the comforting words of prime minister François Legault, who has once again promised a work of “collaboration”.
Bill 61 – which was filed last Wednesday by the president of the treasury Board, Christian Dubé – aims to extend the state of health emergency “until the government put an end to” and accelerate 202 infrastructure projects in order to revive the economy.
As soon as filed, the legislative measure has raised the ire of opposition parties, who have said that he saw that the government exceeded his full powers to be able to burn steps and eliminating a number of “counter-powers”, such as the ability to challenge an expropriation.
Bill 61 would also provide recreation to the government to add other projects to its list of accelerated projects, without having to discuss it over an hour with the opposition. Mr. Dubé noted that an annual report must be presented for each of the projects benefiting from acceleration measurements.
“Listen, at any given time, one has the impression that one wants to spend a lil’ fast,” said in a press briefing the liberal Gaétan Barrette, who denounces the government’s refusal to hear the ex-attorney of the deputy chief of the Charbonneau commission, Denis Gallant.
Me Gallant was subsequently the first inspector general of the City of Montreal, before directing the public procurement Authority, which is dedicated to the fight against collusion and corruption.
“The person who has the most experience in the control of public contracts, the compliance, the pass-pass and the wheeling and dealing, it’s Me, Gallant,” said Mr. Bar. The guy who can generate the most constructive amendments to this bill, of the Coalition avenir Québec refuses to hear it.”
“Listen, at any given time, one has the impression that one wants to spend a lil’ fast,”
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The liberal mna Gaétan Barrette
The opposition parties have also noted that neither the auditor general nor the Barreau du Québec will present memory. The absence of the Bar is equivalent to the absence of the College of physicians consultation on medical help to die, has shown Mr. Barrette with irony.
“We can only applaud”
The Association of road builders and heavy construction du Québec (ACRGTQ) has welcomed the draft law 61 with “optimism”, stressing that the construction industry had been “damaged” during the pandemic.
“The ACRGTQ is in accordance with the provisions of the bill and its objective, which is to mitigate the consequences of the state of health emergency, said the director general of the association, Gisèle Bourque. We do not see any danger.”
Mr. Dubé, who said last week want to demonstrate that Quebec can go faster in the construction, Ms. Bourque said : “We can only applaud that it will remain permanent. It is quite comfortable with it.”
For its part, the Association de la construction du Québec (ACQ) stated not to see any item in the bill that would “attack” the mechanisms adopted after the Charbonneau commission for ethical management of the projects.
In addition, the Confederation of national trade unions (CSN) and the Fédération des travailleurs du Québec (FTQ) have agreed on the need to relaunch the quebec economy, but “not at any price”. The unions have argued, in particular, feared that the government takes the opportunity to circumvent the rights of workers.
Rifle on the temple
It remains to be just four days of parliamentary session and the government is putting “a gun to the head” of the opposition to that bill 61 be adopted prior to adjournment of the June 12, considers Québec solidaire.
“The fact that groups as serious as the law society and the auditor general shall refrain demonstrates that we threw a stone into the pond, with which one must struggle,” responded the deputy Vincent Marissal.
“Is it that you need a weapon with the legislative be too heavy to relaunch the economy? Is it doesn’t hide something else, such as the suppression of rights?” he asked.
The public consultations will be held on two days, ending about 22h on Tuesday with the public Committee of monitoring of the recommendations of the Charbonneau commission.
The parliamentary leader of the Parti québécois, Martin Ouellet, deplored the fact that this group, which may be critical of the bill, heard the last, at a time of low listening.
Of Montreal, the prime minister, Legault has launched once more a call for collaboration to “put in the work a part of Quebecers who are unemployed now.”
“We can, I am convinced of it, to work the four parties to put tags to that it will go faster, but it meets all the requirements”, he said in the press conference.
