Some of the key recommendations from the Charbonneau report

MONTREAL – Quebec Superior Court Justice France Charbonneau issued her report on Tuesday into corruption in the province’s construction industry. Here are some of the key recommendations:

— Foster more competition in the awarding of contracts. (Charbonneau says the commission hearings showed that the higher the number of bidders in call for tenders, the more difficult it is to rig the process.)

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Do more to protect whistle-blowers and to financially compensate them. (Charbonneau’s report says collusion and corruption are acts committed secretly and that they are difficult to learn about without help from colleagues of those who do wrong.)

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Force all companies involved in public work to report any acts of intimidation or violence on their work sites. (The report states such denunciations could lead to a reduction in the number of such cases.)

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Identify the employer of political contributors. (The commission heard from many witnesses who described how leaders of engineering and construction companies financed municipal and provincial political parties by asking employees and their relatives to make personal contributions that the company then reimbursed.)

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Forbid public officials from accepting gifts. (The commission hearings were told that civil servants and elected officials often received presents from suppliers.)

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Allow for the temporary suspension of an elected official who is charged with collusion or corruption. (Charbonneau said it is important the public not lose confidence in the institution that employs someone who is charged.)

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Prompt a debate on the number of mandates a mayor can have. (The report noted that certain studies have suggested imposing such limits can prove an efficient way to fight corruption at the municipal level.)