The mayor of Montreal has been personally implicated in testimony at Quebec's public inquiry, with a witness suggesting that he was not only aware of illegal financing within his political party but was indifferent to it.
While the inquiry was hearing claims of cost overruns, corruption and criminal threats in the awarding of public contracts, Mayor G脙漏rald Tremblay was busy presenting a municipal budget Tuesday that slapped homeowners with a 3.3 per cent increase in property taxes.
A former organizer for Tremblay's party told the inquiry that when the subject of illegal financing came up, the mayor wanted no part of the conversation.
The witness recalled talking about spending irregularities during a meeting with the mayor and another party executive before an important byelection. He said the other executive then pulled out two sets of books - one with the party's "official" budget for the byelection, and one with the "unofficial" budget.
The secret budget had the party spending $90,000 on the campaign - almost double the legal limit. At that point, according to witness Martin Dumont, the mayor stood up and excused himself.
"I don't want to know that," Dumont quoted Tremblay as saying.
Pressed by an inquiry lawyer whether Tremblay knew about illegal party financing, Dumont said, "Yes."
Tremblay angrily denied the allegations, calling them "completely false."
