Corruption in Quebec is a topic that has been discussed through academic journals, news sources, and within the government. There have been proven and unproven allegations over a long period of time and have piled on top of one another. For a period of two years, many people in Quebec wanted an inquiry into the corruption in the province, this led to Charest launching the primary inquiry in October 2011. “To investigate 1) collusion and corruption in public construction contracts, 2) whether such crimes were linked to political party fundraising, and 3) the role organized crime played in the construction industry.” (Riga, 2019) In the final report in 2015, “the Charbonneau commission said corruption and collusion was widespread and deeply rooted; it made 60 recommendations.” (Riga, 2019) The Charbonneau Commission brought to light the engraved corruption and collusion Quebec experiences yearly. Although politicians, including Renaud Lachance, still do not accept the conclusions of the commission. In a news segment by CBC, Lachance stated, “I cannot accept the conclusion of an indirect link between political party donations and the awarding of provincial contracts” (CBC, 0:57, 2015). The Commission brought many issues to light and the aftermath of it brought upon slight changes and controversy in the province.
First of all, it is important to discuss what actually is corruption. “Corruption can be defined as misuse of power by a public official for personal gain.” (Jain, 94, 2017) Corruption occurs when “a public official, acting as an agent for…
