CONFIDENCE IN JUSTICE SYSTEM IS AT RISK
Autonomy of police, prosecutors, courts fundamental to integrity of institutions
Guerrilla warfare seems to have erupted between police, prosecutors and elected officials in Quebec, and things are getting ugly fast.
Last week, Yves Francoeur, the president of the Montreal Police Brotherhood told a radio host that an influence-peddling investigation into two Liberal MNAs, including one who still sits in the National Assembly, has been stalled since 2012. He alleged the only reason charges haven’t been laid is that they’re Liberals.
Tuesday, the director of criminal prosecutions, Annick Murphy, announced the Sûreté du Québec will investigate Francoeur’s allegations.
Hours later, Radio-Canada reported that Francoeur had been approached to run for the Liberals in the next election in the riding of another cop-turnedpolitician, Robert Poëti. Poëti has been relegated to the political wilderness after his efforts to clean up the transport ministry went off track. Francoeur confirmed the offer, but said he rejected it outright. The Liberals, meanwhile, said no such offer was ever made to Francoeur.
These bewildering events are not good for anyone — least of all public confidence in the administration of justice.
Francoeur’s allegations are disturbing and deserve to be thoroughly examined. They are another blow to the government of Philippe Couillard, which has been haunted of late by the ghosts of Liberal administrations past.
But the way Francoeur has brought them forth is equally troubling. He has handled sensitive information with all the delicacy of someone wielding a blowtorch. In one fell swoop, he has suggested political interference compromised the independence of Crown prosecutors, not to mention reignited long smouldering suspicions of corruption. This is extremely damaging — not only for the government, but to the very institutions that are the bedrock of Quebec’s justice system.
The autonomy of police, prosecutors and courts from the powers that be is fundamental to justice being done — and being seen to be done. Calling their integrity into question is no small matter, especially at a time when a series of other imbroglios dogging law enforcement are already eroding public confidence. And Francoeur is a cop, no less, someone who must understand this better than most.
Despite saying he wanted to get in touch with UPAC, Murphy said Francoeur had not met with investigators five days after lobbing his incendiary allegations. The longer he waits, the less his statements seem like genuine frustration over a potential tampering and the more it starts to seem like driveby-style score settling of the kind we’ve learned is all-too-prevalent in the Montreal police force.
Francoeur’s timing doesn’t help this perception. He dropped his bombshell the same day Public Security Minister Martin Coiteux unveiled legislation to force the Montreal officers to doff the colourful pants they’ve been wearing to protest changes to their pension fund for the last three years.
The latest police probe comes hard on the heels of the internal review launched by UPAC head Robert Lafrenière a week earlier to find out who leaked information about surveillance on former premier Jean Charest and Liberal fundraiser Marc Bibeau that is part of an “active criminal investigation.”
There is, of course, the Sûreté du Québec-led multi-force investigation of the Montreal police over concerns the internal affairs department was waging abusive probes of officers to settle scores between warring factions. Then there is the Chamberland Commission, which has begun hearings into police spying on journalists as part of these internal probes. The list goes on.
The open skirmishing among those in charge of maintaining public order is very grave — especially given this seems to be a scorched-earth kind of conflict. Electoral fortunes and careers may be at stake. But public confidence in institutions that require a certain amount of respect to function must not be blown up in the process.