Whistleblower seeks compensation of $1.1 million from Hydro-Québec, alleging a hidden termination ordeal
A former employee of Hydro-Québec, identified only as A.B., has filed a lawsuit seeking $1.1 million in damages. The lawsuit, filed in Quebec Superior Court, alleges that Hydro-Québec retaliated against A.B. after he reported suspected corruption involving public contracts.
According to the lawsuit, A.B. claimed he was the victim of a "disguised dismissal" when he left his job in January 2024. He alleges that he paid dearly for his disclosure, including progressive removal of his responsibilities, isolation within the team, repeated attempts to discredit him, disclosure of his identity as a whistleblower, and reassignment to a lower-level position.
The alleged acts are in violation of an unspecified law. The authority that confirmed in 2025 the claim by the defendant A.B. that Hydro-Québec acted reprehensibly in handling disclosures since the enactment of the Loi facilitant la divulgation d'actes répréhensibles à l'égard des organismes publics is the Direction des enquêtes et des poursuites en intégrité municipale (DEPIM).
A.B. claims to have reported "potential reprehensible acts" involving Hydro-Québec to the Autorité des marchés publics and the Protector of Citizens in 2023. The Protector of Citizens raised an administrative gap in Hydro-Québec's reporting process, and in March 2025, concluded that Hydro-Québec had "engaged in a reprehensible act by commenting on significant shortcomings in the treatment of disclosures since the entry into force of the LFDAROP [Loi facilitant la divulgation d'actes répréhensibles à l'égard des organismes publics]."
In response, Hydro-Québec disputes these allegations. The gap in Hydro-Québec's reporting process has since been resolved, according to Maxence Huard-Lefebvre, spokesperson for Hydro-Québec.
At the time, A.B. held a position at Hydro-Québec that allowed him to be informed about bidding processes. A.B. seeks to send a "strong deterrent message" by condemning Hydro-Québec to pay punitive damages of $1 million. He also seeks $100,000 in moral damages.
A.B. lists stress and anxiety, fear of retaliation, constant hypervigilance, chronic fatigue, deterioration of self-esteem, etc., as the consequences he has faced. He fears that other individuals may have suffered the same fate or that other whistleblowers may have chosen not to make a disclosure due to the flagrant non-respect by Hydro-Québec of its basic obligations in the treatment of disclosures.
Hydro-Québec is a state-owned company.
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