Ex-deputy Quebec premier Nathalie Normandeau's lawyers have requested a stay of proceedings, arguing that her fraud trial won't occur within a reasonable delay of time. She and her co-accused are facing a slew of corruption-related charges related to a contract awarded for a water-treatment plant in Boisbriand, Que. The defence argued that ditching this preliminary hearing means Normandeau's trial must be completed within the 18-month deadline, not the 30 months, as stipulated in the Supreme Court's ruling. The request will be debated in January, and the trial is to begin in April, 23 months after the indictment. $11-million contractNormandeau and the others were arrested following an investigation by Quebec's anti-corruption unit, UPAC, into a contract for a water-treatment plant in Boisbriand, Que.

Source: CBC News December 16, 2017 00:56 UTC