of dollars. Imagine a hockey game where all the players on both teams, all the coaches, the referees, the team owners and the league all conspire to fix the outcome of a game. Under these circumstance what chance do the fans have to watch an honest match. For me, the fact that most of the engineering/consulting firms dealing with government are corrupt is particularly disheartening. Just yesterday the anti-corruption unit UPAC raided four of these firms in Laval, including DESSAU , up to now, a proud fixture representing Quebec know-how. Link That these large and supposedly professional companies, stocked with the best and the brightest minds are corrupt enterprises boggles the mind. We've already been rocked by allegations against SNC-Lavalin, a Quebec and international behemoth. It's like finding out your health clinic, run by professionals and doctors was systematically defrauding patients by overcharging. When will these revelations end? Some in the Press are clamouring for harsh new rules and penalties, but it isn't the only answer. Obviously an outside auditor can easily verify the integrity of a construction contract by comparing elements within. If the quoted price of say... concrete in Montreal, is double what is being paid in Quebec City (which was actually the case)  it doesn't take a genius to cry foul. But in Montreal, as I said, even the auditor is corrupt. But even diligent oversight is not enough when so many of the players are corrupt. Here is a con that was described at the Charbonneau