CAQ MNA allegedly asks mayors for $100 donation to party in exchange for meeting with minister

SHERBROOKE, QUE. -

Another Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) MNA is facing accusations of offering access to a minister in exchange for a donation to the party.

Rousseau MNA Louis-Charles Thouin approached the 10 mayors of the Montcalm RCM to contribute to the party in exchange for a meeting with Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault, according to a series of exchanges obtained by The Canadian Press on Tuesday.

Elections Québec stipulates that a contribution to a party must be made "without compensation or quid pro quo."

The CAQ said that "there is no privileged access," but refused to grant an interview.

Thouin invited the mayors of his riding for a fundraising cocktail scheduled for Feb. 8.

"If elected representatives pay $100, they will be able to talk with Ms. Guilbault," reads the invitation.

In his message, the CAQ member states: "each MNA must, each year, raise funds for the next election, but this year I have decided to propose a new formula."

He says he wants to "combine business with pleasure" by inviting elected officials to a "private cocktail" at a cost of $100, 5 à 7, in Saint-Jacques, in the presence of the Minister of Transport.

"Geneviève and I will be delighted to welcome you and discuss a range of topics of concern to you, including road and public transit issues," the message reads.

It should be noted that the Ministère des Transports and its Minister are in constant interaction with municipalities on critical issues of road infrastructure funding, public transit, road maintenance, new sections, safety. This meeting with the minister can provide an opportunity to discuss a number of issues of concern to you.

A meeting with the Minister can enable a municipal elected official to move a file forward, but an elected official who requests an appointment with a Minister should not have to pay to obtain a meeting.

The Canadian Press requested an interview with Thouin through his constituency office without success. The party also declined our request for an interview.

Nevertheless, questions were forwarded to the parliamentary group's spokesman, Marc Danis, as to why the party solicited municipal elected officials to contribute to its fund and whether this did not influence peddling.

"There is no privileged access," wrote Mr. Danis in a text message.

"Thouin invited elected officials as a courtesy," he continued. "The decision to participate in a fundraising event is an individual one. Our ministers met with more than 1,000 municipal elected officials at formal meetings in 2023. They are available."

This is not the first time such a fundraising initiative by the CAQ has come to light.

Last week, Radio-Canada revealed that a citizen who wanted her MNA, Sylvain Lévesque, to move her file forward was offered a meeting with Finance Minister Éric Girard, in exchange for a $100 contribution to the party's.

The National Assembly's Ethics Commissioner, Ariane Mignolet, announced on Monday that she was launching an investigation into Lévesque.

The CAQ gives the appearance of monetizing access to its ministers," said Québec solidaire MNA Vincent Marissal in an interview with Radio-Canada.

A former Charbonneau Commission investigator, André Noël, also spoke out against the CAQ's financing practices.

According to him, it violated the spirit of the law on the financing of political parties in that access to ministers was paid for. In Quebec, financial contributions to political parties are governed by the Act respecting the financing of political parties.

Elections Québec stipulates that the donor must attest that his "contribution was made from his own property, voluntarily, without compensation or consideration, and that it has not been and will not be reimbursed in any way."

Noël doubts that it's "voluntary" if it's done in exchange for a meeting with a minister.

In the meantime, Lévesque will not be excluded from the CAQ caucus, and he also retains his position as Vice-President of the National Assembly.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Jan. 23, 2024.