Investigations must be vast and impartial
Mayor eager to move on, but corruption is a serious concern
It’s a big year for Montreal as politicians seize on the occasion of the city’s 375th anniversary to attract international attention.
Montrealers can only remain optimistic that a series of splashy investments will bear fruit, but the more serious concern could be a series of scandals suggesting the city is too often plagued by disorder and basic lapses in democracy.
With alarming new allegations involving the Montreal police department, the provincial government finds itself again compelled to look at potential malfeasance but too timid to explore drastic, necessary measures.
Warring factions within the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal, or SPVM, are hurling incendiary claims against each other. A number of ex-investigators allege they were monitored by colleagues who ultimately found, after months of detective work, no criminal wrongdoing. Those ex-investigators, some holding clashing policy views with SPVM command or leaking information to journalists, then confidentially settled matters with the department.
So are public resources being used for vindictive investigations against dissenting police officers, and to cover the compensatory settlements that result?
The SPVM and Mayor Denis Coderre, who appointed and continues to defend police chief Philippe Pichet, should be exceptionally open with media on these matters to restore public confidence.
On top of last October’s media-spying scandal, the latest events prompted Public Security Minister Martin Coiteux on Feb. 24 to call an administrative inquiry led by the Sûreté du Québec and the new civilian investigative body, the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes. Putting either in charge of the SPVM probe is highly questionable.
Recent police spying scandals also touched the SQ (the force admitted to monitoring investigative journalists), leading Coiteux to call a separate public inquiry last November.
As for the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes, it has limited resources and is inexperienced at investigating corruption.
Charges of cronyism and corruption in Quebec’s public sector are becoming so critically serious that only a third party — for instance, the RCMP or a private sector investigative body — could lead a proper, comprehensive review.
Meanwhile, Montreal’s last mayor awaits sentencing on eight corruption-related charges. Coderre said the Michael Applebaum conviction means the city has “turned the page … it’s the end of a chapter. We’re moving onto other things.”
The prosecution is pushing for a two-year prison sentence for Applebaum. Another former Union Montreal elected official, Saulie Zajdel, pleaded guilty to two corruption-related charges in 2015. Coderre seems confident that other Union councillors now serving his party are unimpeachable. Let’s hope he’s correct.
Despite the mayor’s eagerness to move on, corruption remains a serious concern for Montrealers — and backing a police chief who leads a force that has conducted surveillance operations against journalists and whistleblowers is far from reassuring. This is the tenuous political climate brewing as the city ramps up spending and international outreach.
By May, the Jacques-Cartier bridge’s $39.5-million decoration will be complete, literally flashing arrows toward a politically embattled city. Ramped-up festivals, rodeos and various celebrations costing tens of millions will roll through the 19 boroughs.
Another estimated $11 million was spent by Loto-Québec to lure internationally renowned French chef Joël Robuchon to the Casino de Montréal, to the chagrin of local restaurateurs.
The juxtaposition of politicians downplaying embryonic corruption scandals while throwing millions at parties and self-congratulatory international marketing efforts is disconcerting.
Investigations into alleged corruption must be impartial and vast in scope if Montreal is to be stable enough to not only seduce tourists but retain investment, and regain its standing as a world-class metropolis.