A former provincial minister turned engineering firm employee is explaining the cozy relationship between himself and important members of the Liberal party.

Former health minister Marc-Yvan Coté left politics in 1994 and was snapped up by the engineering firm Roche, a company that several past and present employees have said made regular large donations to both the Liberal party and the Parti Quebecois.

On Wednesday Coté explained how he first met Nathalie Normandeau when she was mayor of Maria, a town in the Bay of Chaleur in the Gaspé.

When Normandeau became tourism minister, Coté was asked to raise money for her and he was quickly able to collect $10,000 from his business associates, even though he did not have a valid lobbying licence and so his actions were not officially monitored.

However the connection between Coté and Normandeau's chief of staff, Bruno Lortie, was even closer.

"One time I had a conversation with his father, soon before his death, when he asked me to look after his family and after Bruno. I became a type of adopted father to Bruno," said Coté.

Coté said that while he worked at Roche as vice-president of Business Development, he would call Lortie at least once a week, especially once Normandeau was named Minister of Municipal Affairs.

On occasion other Roche VPs would ask Coté to call his Liberal contacts to see if there was anything that could be done to assist the company with its contracts.

Hired for political connections

Appearing before the Charbonneau commission, Coté has testified that after being hired by Roche he was encouraged to maintain his contacts with the Liberal party.

"I was able to get all the information I needed because I built trust and respect within the party," said Coté.

Those contacts were used by Roche to funnel political donations to key players in hopes of winning contracts.

Coté oversaw illegal financing, where false fronts and company reimbursements were used to work around the legal limit of $3,000 per person, but said he never made any contributions himself.

During his testimony Coté admitted that straw men were being used.

"I knew that straw men were not permitted," and yet he did nothing to stop the illegal actions.

Municipal politics

Coté's political influence was also felt at the municipal level.  For example, he testified that in 2001, embattled former Montreal executive committee president Frank Zampino requested $100,000 from Coté. It was the price to pay if Roche engineering wanted to do business in Montreal, but Coté didn't pay.

“I told Zampino, that's not how Roche does business,” Coté stated.


Marois reacts to allegations

 

Meanwhile, former premier Pauline Marois finally reacted Wednesday to allegations her staff broke political financing laws in her old riding of Charlevoix. 

The claim was made by Ernest Murray, one of her former staffers Monday at the commission.

Murray testified that in 2008, he sought $10,000 in illegal donations from Roche engineering.

Wednesday morning, Marois issued this denial:

"Mr. Murray kept me informed of his fundraising goals in my riding, but I never knew of the event he mentioned in his testimony."

The PQ said, however, that it will fully cooperate with the director general of elections, and would reimburse any amount received illegally.