Quebec's Transport Ministry bosses ruled with iron fist, union says
Managers dole out severe retribution for whistleblowers, union president says
A culture of fear and secrecy exists within Quebec's Transport Ministry, with senior managers vowing to make life "hell" for workers who speak out against shady practices, their union said Thursday.
Transports Québec is at the centre of allegations of bid-rigging and hidden cost overruns, which have cost the jobs of the department's top bureaucrat and its minister's chief of staff.
- Quebec's deputy transport minister removed from post amid controversy
- Top bureaucrat, chief of staff lose jobs at Transports Québec amid corruption allegations
Concerns about the ministry's inner workings were raised by the previous minister, Robert Poeti, before he was shuffled to the government's backbenches in January. He had appointed a former UPAC investigator to look into complaints about collusion and corruption.
That investigator, Annie Trudel, stepped down last month, citing efforts within the ministry to sabotage her attempts to gather information.
"It was an open secret that several senior members of the MTQ ardently wanted my departure," she wrote in her resignation letter, which was obtained by Radio-Canada.
They ... make your professional life and sometimes your personal life a hell.- Richard Perron, public-sector union president
The obstacles she faced in her investigation did not surprise Richard Perron, head of the Syndicat des professionnels du gouvernement du Québec, which represents 25,000 public sector workers.
Union members have described working under vindictive bosses who publicly punish whistleblowers, he said.
"They make everyone know you're subject to reprisals," Perron told CBC News. "The message is clear: 'Don't speak, don't talk. Just tell your boss, and if he doesn't want to move, shut your mouth. Otherwise you'll pay the price.'"
He added that managers use "a lot of imagination" in their methods of punishing workers. These include suspensions, poor evaluations and reassignments.
"They ... make your professional life and sometimes your personal life a hell," Perron said.
After Poeti was removed from cabinet, he sent a letter to his successor, Jacques Daoust, outlining his concerns. He warned Daoust that ex-employees were being rehired as contractors, winning bids that weren't subject to tender.
He also noted that six engineering firms actually had official ministry email addresses and were given access to ministry resources.
There is, moreover, little accountability within the ministry because many auditors work directly underneath the managers they are meant to be auditing.
Those kinds of arrangements encourage the culture of silence, Perron said.
"Our people are afraid to speak," he said. "They don't tell us everything. They don't speak to us because they're afraid of reprisals they would be subject to."
with files from CBC's Angelica Montgomery