Hearings into the sale of Rona began at the National Assembly on Thursday, with the goal of determining what role politics played in the sale of the hardware chain to American corporation Lowe’s.
An email that surfaced last week suggested Daoust’s former chief of staff, Pierre Ouellet, had consulted him on the sale, with Daoust giving his approval.
An auditor general’s report released earlier this summer suggested Daoust was aware of Investissement Quebec’s plans to sell Rona shares while he was serving as minister of the economy in November, 2014.
Daoust has denied any wrongdoing.
While Ouellet was scheduled to testify on Thursday, the opposition’s request to have Daoust appear before the committee was denied by the committee’s Liberal majority. Former Rona president Robert Dutton will also not testify.
Quebec Solidaire MNA Amir Khadir said the government "torpedoed" the hearings by "refusing to get to the bottom of things," and criticized the Liberals for refusing to allow Daoust to testify. He questioned what role Premier Philippe Couillard played in the sale and if he knew about the divestment of shares before it happened.
Coalition Avenir Quebec MNA Francois Bonnardel said he would not rulling out calling Couillard's chief of staff, Jean-Louis Dufresne, to testify, a possibility also suggested by Parti Quebecois member Alain Therrien.
Also scheduled to appear before the committee are former leaders of Investissement Quebec as well as Quebec’s auditor general.
- With files from The Canadian Press
