UPAC gets officially more power

Photo Stevens LeBlanc
It is by a vote of 61 against 49 that the draft law has been adopted.

Nicolas Lachance

Wednesday, 14 February 2018 11:08

UPDATE
Wednesday, February 14, 2018 12:33

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Even if the bill gave more power to the Unité permanente anticorruption (UPAC) has been adopted Wednesday, the minister of public Security admits that it will not address the poor work climate within the Unit.

• READ ALSO: A pq government would Robert Lafrenière at the door

“The thing promised, thing owed “, said minister Martin Coiteux to the output of the majority voting for the bill, 107 to the national Assembly. “When one governs, one assumes. “

With this adoption, the UPAC will have the same tools and obligations as all other police forces. Nevertheless, Mr. Coiteux admits that it is not only the law that will allow UPAC to find his marks and put an end to the bad work environment that eats away at the Unit.

“I never said that bill 107 would have resolved all of the problems inside the organization,” he said, stressing that there will still be loans of services from the different police forces. “UPAC is going to have the ability to recruit. It is necessary to give time to time “, said Mr. Coiteux.

Two-thirds

This bill has been adopted without the support of the three opposition parties, who demanded that the commissioner of the UPAC will be appointed to two-thirds of the national Assembly.

“We do not give the names of the actors of the judicial system in Quebec, two-thirds of the national Assembly,” said the minister.

The prime minister, Philippe Couillard, has commended the minister for the adoption of this legislature. He put emphasis on the importance of the selection committee that will be created to choose the commissioner of UPAC, respecting the recommendation of the Charbonneau commission that the commissioner should be appointed completely independently of the government.

“This is fundamental,” explained the prime minister. He submits that this committee should be composed of persons of “very good quality” that will have “the full confidence” of the population.

Finish with Lafrenière

For his part, Jean-François Lisée announced that a government of the Parti québécois would put an end to the contract of Robert Lafrenière, head of UPAC. “It will be the time to change […] Me, I give notice that there will be a new commissioner of UPAC, designated two-thirds of the national Assembly,” he promised.

This statement is a blatant example of political interference, stressed the prime minister, Philippe Couillard.

For its part, the CAQ’s François Legault has indicated that it would restart the contract of Mr. Lafrenière, for submission to a vote of two-thirds of the national Assembly.

The changes to the UPAC

• UPAC becomes a police official
• An oversight committee of the UPAC will be made
• The commissioner chosen by the government according to the recommendation of a selection committee will have a term of seven years, non-renewable
• The UPAC will also have a mandate to fight against corruption in the public sector as a whole
• The Director of criminal and penal prosecutions (DPCP) will have more power in a collaboration agreement with a witness, in order to put an end to judicial procedures
• The Office of the independent surveys (EIB) will investigate allegations relating to sexual offences committed by a police officer in function