The latest chapter in the ongoing Quebec municipal construction saga saw the federal Competition Bureau raid the offices of over a dozen Montreal-area construction firms this week in an attempt to gather evidence of bid rigging. A report in CBC News confirmed that:
The Competition Bureau of Canada seized evidence from several Montreal-area construction firms Tuesday as part of a probe into allegations of bid-rigging and collusion in various public contracts. The bureau said it is looking into allegations of an anti-competitive agreement among construction firms, but a spokeswoman stressed the investigation is in its infancy.
“Today, what we’re doing is gathering evidence and this will be analyzed,” Gabrielle Tasse said in a phone interview. “But there is no conclusion of wrongdoing at this time and no charges have been laid.” There are reports that more than a dozen firms are being raided, but Tasse says she can’t say how many are being targeted. Tasse said the contracts in question involve the building of public parks and squares and the repair of sidewalks, pipes, streets and sewers.
Bid-rigging and inflated contracts in the construction industry have been the subject of previous testimony at Quebec’s corruption inquiry. The bureau has previously said it has been keeping tabs on testimony at the Charbonneau Commission and would not hesitate to investigate when necessary.
The National Post also reported on the Competition Bureau raids, noting that “investigations by the bureau are often lengthy, mainly because price-fixing and bid-rigging can be difficult to prove” and that “several local police forces” helped federal investigators collect evidence during the Tuesday raids.
