QUEBEC CITY - The Quebec Liberal Party has been accused of patronage in who it appoints to the boards of Crown corporations in the province.
A report by French-language newspaper La Presse published Wednesday looked at 100 board members from Crown corporations such as Hydro Quebec and Loto Quebec, and found that three quarters of them donated to the Liberal party.
According to the article, 18 of 21 board members at Hydro Quebec are Liberal donors.
Quebec's state-run enterprises manage billions of dollars in taxpayer money. If those running them were appointed based on their political loyalties, some – such as members of the Parti Quebecois - are concerned board members might not have the skills or experience to manage that money at maximum efficiency.
Jean-Marc Fournier, minister for institional reform, defended the choices Wednesday.
"When you look at the (whole) picture, what you can see is the people we name are competent and not just coming from the liberal party," he said.
The Parti Quebecois, however, noisily disagreed.
"The Liberal system is well greased," said Parti Quebecois MNA Bertrand St. Arnaud in the National Assembly Wednesday, shouting that the Liberals have corrupted the system and should be ashamed.
Finance Minister Raymond Bachand retaliated, telling reporters there's nothing shady happening, and that the PQ appointed supporters to Crown corporation boards when it was in power as well.
"Are you suggesting that contributions to political parties are illegal?" said Bachand. "It's a high gesture of morality to give. The real question we should ask: Should we appoint people to boards who don't give to political parties?"
Public administration professor Luc Bernier, an expert on Crown corporations, said favouritism is difficult to prove.
"It always existed. It exists elsewhere, but the degree to which the Liberal party has appointed to these boards is unusual, I would say," he said, pointing to the Caisse de depot et placement as an example.
The choice to hire Caisse de depot's CEO Michael J. Sabia last year stands out, said Bernier. Sabia donated $9,800 to the Liberals in the seven years prior to being named to the job.
"Frankly with the track record at Bell Canada for Sabia - and of who was available at the time in the financial world to manage the Caisse de depot, which is a very important institution in Quebec - questions should still be raised," said Bernier.
