Sébastien Goulet | CUPE Communications
Quebec’s moves to weaken procurement rules is on CUPE’s radar.
In mid-January, a CUPE delegation attended Quebec’s National Assembly for consultations on Bill 155, which contains various provisions concerning municipal affairs. The CUPE representatives wanted to shed light on a key concerns related to the awarding of contracts.
The government wants to weaken rules regarding contracts between $25,000 and $100,000, allowing for these contracts to be awarded without a tender process for all Quebec’s 1,110 towns and municipalities, thereby opening the door to less oversight.
“The biggest cause for concern with these lax rules is that towns and municipalities across Quebec could end up opting for contracts by mutual agreement in the majority of cases rather than through a tender process . It’s not the outcome we expect following years of scandals and all the talk about integrity, transparency, and proper management of public funds,” said Denis Bolduc, president of CUPE‑QC.
CUPE is also disappointed that Bill 155 fails to force or even encourage municipalities to bolster their internal expertise when it’s understood to be the best protection against corruption and collusion.
