LAVAL, Que. — Two former Bloc members must be held at least partially responsible for the collapse of a Laval overpass that claimed the life of one man last summer, says Liberal MNA Thomas Mulcair.

He points the finger directly at former Premier Lucien Bouchard and former labor minister Diane Lemieux. Mulcair, who represents Chomedey riding where the collapse occurred, says the two joined the Labour Department in letting an unlicensed construction firm handle the Souvenir Blvd. overpass over Hwy. 15.

Beaver Asphalt’s construction license was not renewed by the Regie du Batiment on Feb. 17 of last year and the construction company filed for bankruptcy a few days later — $32 million in debt.

“I’m sure there was political influence that allowed Beaver to go ahead with the project, even though it didn’t have a license,” says Mulcair. “Responsibility goes right to the top — to Mr. Bouchard and Ms. Lemieux, who were in office at the time.”

Mulcair said he hopes to be heard this fall at the coroner’s inquest on the death of Gilbert Vinson of Morin Heights, the man killed in the collapse. Vinson’s friends Louis Gauthier and Mark Valley were severely injured.