Montreal Mayor Gérald Tremblay answers questions at city hall on Monday night. (CBC)New allegations of municipal espionage surfaced at Montreal council on Monday night as opposition councillors charged that city bureaucrats spied on two of their members.

Opposition leader Louise Harel alleged that two councillors, Benoît Dorais and Véronique Fournier, had their accounts hacked in spring and fall of last year.

She accused top city officials of ordering the surveillance and blamed Mayor Gérald Tremblay for creating an atmosphere of suspicion and mistrust.

"We are concerned by the fact that if it is possible to spy the auditor general, why not the elected members of the council?" said Harel after Monday night's meeting.

'It is awful, the way it was done. It's unfair.'— Richard Bergeron, Projet Montréal leader

Harel made the allegations as councillors debated a series of reports into surveillance ordered by by city comptroller Pierre Reid into the work of auditor general Jacques Bergeron.

Bergeron, in a report tabled Monday, called the surveillance "illegal and extremely grave."

Dueling reports tabled at council

Projet Montréal leader Richard Bergeron dismissed the report into auditor general investigation before it was even tabled at city council on Monday. (CBC)While Tremblay admitted the tactics may have been questionable, he said he stands by the fruit of Reid's investigation, which was detailed in another report tabled at council on Monday.

Over the course of 10 months in 2009, city officials monitored the email account of Bergeron after it was alleged he awarded two translation contracts to family members in violation of the city's ethics code.

The investigation found that two contracts worth a total of $5,000 had also been split into two, avoiding the need for a public tender.

Projet Montréal leader Richard Bergeron (no relation) said the intrusion by bureaucrats went too far given the nature of the allegation.

He called on council to throw out the report and for the mayor to fire Reid.

"It's a report to destroy a man, to destroy Mr. Bergeron and to destroy the function of auditor general of the city of Montreal. It is awful, the way it was done. It's unfair," said Richard Bergeron.

Council to review reports Tuesday

The auditor general has been summoned to a follow-up council meeting Tuesday to discuss the details of his version of events.

However, it is still unclear if he will appear.

Executive committee member Alan DeSousa said council needs to hear both sides of the story before taking any further action.

"The audit committee has got a series of events in which they reproach Mr. Bergeron. In fairness it's important to give him the chance to give his responses," said DeSousa. "I'm most interested in knowing what he has to say, what his explanations are."

Opposition councillors said city officials — including the mayor — also have questions left to answer.

"Just explain us how you can be the mayor of Montreal and know nothing about something so big so huge and so dangerous for the credibility of the city council, city hall, and the auditor general function?" said Richard Bergeron.

Tremblay has said he would recommend the matter be reviewed by the province's municipal affairs minister.