Ethics commissioner to probe complaint against Barrette

The province’s ethics watchdog will look into Health Minister Gaétan Barrette’s alleged interference in an appointment at the CHUM.

The Parti Québécois asked ethics commissioner Jacques SaintLaurent to open the investigation, the PQ’s ethics critic, Stéphane Bergeron, said on Wednesday.

The crisis that rocked the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal over the past week was caused by the “unacceptable actions of the minister,” Bergeron said in a statement.

A flurry of CHUM board members, including its executive director Jacques Turgeon, resigned last week, accusing Barrette of abusing his power. They said Barrette had tried to “blackmail” Turgeon into renaming Dr. Patrick Harris as head of the surgery department.

Barrette and Harris have both dismissed speculation that they are friends.

Bergeron says he has “reasonable motives” to believe Barrette violated an article of the National Assembly’s ethics code, which says members can’t further their private interests while carrying out the duties of his office, or use their position to influence someone else’s decision.

Turgeon came to terms with the minister on Tuesday and announced he will return to the CHUM as CEO starting April 1.

Three other directors who resigned, including president JeanClaude Deschênes, were reappointed to the board on Wednesday, the CHUM said in a news release. Jean Bragagnolo was the only board member who didn’t return.

The board’s mandate lasts until March 31, after which new directors will be named according to the procedure set out in Bill 10.