Quebec politics awash in illegal fundraising cash, corruption inquiry hears

MONTREAL – A public inquiry has heard allegations that illegal political financing takes place on a staggering magnitude in Quebec.

A star witness testified today that 70 per cent of the money used by Quebec’s provincial parties comes from outside registered donations.

Jacques Duchesneau, a former Montreal police chief and civil servant, says the problem is just as bad at the municipal level.

He shared one anecdote, from a source, that an unnamed municipal party was so awash in cash it literally could not close the door on its safe.

The system appears well organized, according to Duchesneau. He says political organizers would demand donations from engineering firms. These firms, in turn, would inflate invoices for work being done on public projects.

He estimates that, during his investigative research over the last three years, he found as many as 50 engineering firms submitting false invoices in Montreal alone.

The inquiry is exploring corruption and Mob ties in Quebec’s construction industry, a sector that has close links to representatives at all three levels of government.

It’s Duchesneau’s fourth day of testimony at the inquiry. He will continue this afternoon.