After more than a year of negotiations between the Quebec government and the provincial police union, things took a turn Thursday.
In a statement, the union (APPQ) said it has suspended talks and puts the blame squarely on a government leak.
Earlier this week a La Presse report said the government was looking to impose a 50-50 split on pension contributions for all provincial police officers. The same structure was at the centre of Bill 3 protests that saw some members of the Montreal fire department trash city hall. Currently SQ officers pay about one third of the overall contribution to their pension.
The article also mentioned the APPQ was demanding salary increases that would put them on par with other federal and provincial police forces. That number was much higher than what the province was willing to pay.
APPQ President Pierre Veilleux said this information was news to him.
According to Veilleux, the current negotiations had at no point reached financial discussions, with the two sides only discussing important issues pertaining to public safety, the police service and overall organization of work.
The president said the contract talks will remain on hold until the government fully discloses what concessions it expects the police union to make.
Veilleux said it's important the government put all its cards on the table as a sign of respect, good faith and trust.
He added despite both sides agreeing to keep negotiations private, this is the second time sensitive information has made its way public.