Quebec Premier Jean Charest tried to downplay the effect that anti-corruption whistleblower Jacques Duchesneau could have on the provincial election Saturday, saying his government had already taken steps to tackle corruption in the construction industry.
There have been multiple reports that the former police chief has agreed to run for the new Coalition for Quebec's Future, giving the third-place party a huge boost as it tries to make the Liberal government's track record on corruption a key issue in the campaign.
The party is expected to confirm his candidacy as early as this morning.
Duchesneau was hired by the Liberals in 2010 to investigate allegations of corruption and collusion in the construction industry. His report, which he leaked to the media because he felt the government would ignore it, claimed the construction industry was bilking the public purse and using some of its cash to illegally fund political parties.
Charest took pains Saturday to show he wasn't concerned about Duchesneau's possible candidacy.
"It's an election campaign and during an election campaign there will be opponents," he said at a news conference.
The premier pointed to an earlier assessment that gave his government eight-out-of-10 in its efforts to tackle corruption and said his government followed through on many of Duchesneau's recommendations.
Meanwhile, the Parti Qu脙漏b脙漏cois confirmed a high-profiled candidate of its own Saturday.
Jean-Fran莽is Lis脙漏e, a popular columnist and onetime adviser to former PQ premiers Jacques Parizeau and Lucien Bouchard, called for anyone opposed to the Liberals to unite behind the PQ banner.
A key player in the 1995 referendum, Lisee wouldn't commit to holding another in the early stages of a PQ mandate. But he said the Harper government's policies were helping to promote the cause.
"I think there will be a time when Quebecers will say, 'enough is enough, it's time to go,' " he said in Montreal.
"If the Liberals or the Coalition are in power they will not have that choice."
For his part, Coalition leader Francois Legault also courted the sovereigntist vote Saturday as he promised more funding for the arts.
Legault, a former PQ minister who promises to shelve the nationalist question for 10 years, said he would make sure to preserve Quebec culture.
