SHERBROOKE -- Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette isn't the only one who has appointed a friend: his colleague, Finance Minister Eric Girard, admitted Saturday that he had done the same.

Just last week, Girard reappointed his "personal friend" Jean-François Blais to the board of directors of Loto-Québec.

Girard and Blais met in high school at Séminaire Saint-François in the Quebec City area. Blais was first appointed to the board of Loto-Québec on the minister's recommendation in 2019.

Unlike Jolin-Barrette, Girard would have warned Premier François Legault that he was about to appoint a close friend: "I certainly said that this person, I knew him."

On Saturday, Girard brushed off questions about the appearance of a conflict of interest by touting his friend's experience. "He's someone who has exceptional skills," he said.

Defending his justice department colleague, Girard said the judicial appointment process was "very different" from that of Crown corporation board members.

JOLIN-BARRETTE KNEW HE WOULD CREATE A STIR

Arriving at the CAQ convention in Sherbrooke on Saturday, Jolin-Barrette said he was "fully aware" that his friend's appointment to a judicial position "would necessarily have a resonance."

Despite this, he did not notify the premier or the cabinet.

He defended his choice to appoint his friend Charles-Olivier Gosselin as a judge of the Court of Quebec on May 4, assuring that he had respected the judicial selection process in every respect.

In short, an independent committee analyzes the applications and submits a short list to the Minister, who makes the final choice. The cabinet then approves the appointment.

"This is my friend. I am Minister of Justice. I made a decision that I assume (...) The person was selected based on his skills," said Jolin-Barrette at a press scrum.

During a speech at the national convention of the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) in Levis in May 2018, François Legault said, "At the CAQ, we are not here to serve ourselves (and) to serve our little friends."

"Quebecers are disgusted with cronyism and scheming. (...) None of you should expect to receive preferential treatment because you have a CAQ membership card," he continued.

FAVOURITISM?

The Parti Québécois says it has counted 13 "partisan" appointments since the CAQ came to power.

Its list includes Catherine Loubier, former deputy chief of staff to Legault, who became Quebec's delegate to New York, and Guy Leblanc, a friend of Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon, who was appointed CEO of Investissement Québec.

For its part, the Quebec Liberal Party denounced, in a press release issued Saturday, the "appearance of favouritism."

Liberal justice critic André Albert Morin criticized Minister Jolin-Barrette for working in an "obscure and non-transparent" way.

"Although the process for appointing judges in Quebec is very rigorous, it is the minister himself who ultimately makes recommendations to the council of ministers."

"He should always be transparent and reveal to his colleagues if he is aware of candidates and withdraw from the final selection session," said Morin.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 13, 2023.