The inexperience of some people in the permanent anti-corruption unit (UPAC) means that others will receive reimbursements like the one granted to former Quebec Premier Jean Charest, estimated ex-unionist Ken Pereira.
Speaking to Benoît Dutrizac on QUB radio, former FTQ unionist and Charbonneau Commission whistleblower Ken Pereira described UPAC as a funnel.
“All the information came in through there. Without saying that the people were not qualified, they had little experience and it was known that this was going to lead to errors which lead to lawsuits. I don’t think this will be the last refund,” he said.
At the same time, he recognized that it took time for an apprentice to “know the jargon and the game”, and that many still had “crusts to eat” to fully understand how construction works.
The host reminded his guest that Robert Lafrenière, who was at the head of UPAC, had experience. The latter had notably been designated as Lucien Bouchard’s right-hand man during the ice storm in 1998.
“He does his job masterfully. The problem is that there was no call for tenders to clean the streets and remove the branches. Two of the companies I knew personally made their fortunes responding to this emergency. Later, they were called to the Charbonneau Commission,” he replied.
“They had over-the-counter contracts. I don’t want to blame Lafrenière, but I just want to demonstrate how the system works,” he added.
The director of Local 1981 FTQ-Construction at the time recalled that people from the FTQ were closely associated with organized crime and that workers’ funds were used.
“I went to the Charbonneau Commission with no charge on my back. I said that if we want to clean up something, it has to go through transparency. With that, we could show the world that we are not all in the same gang,” he continued.