More than $1M pay for Investissement Quebec boss is 'unacceptable': opposition parties

Opposition parties have denounced the increased compensation for the head of Investissement Québec, which went over the $1 million mark in 2022.

The compensation of Guy LeBlanc reached $1.1 million in 2022, an increase of 19 per cent over last year, according to documents tabled in a parliamentary committee on Wednesday.

Quebec Solidaire MNA Ruba Ghazal denounced on Thursday the growth of executive compensation in Crown corporations. "The gap keeps widening year after year, between the highest executives and then the people at the bottom of the ladder," she said at a press conference. "That's really unacceptable."

She questioned the idea that such compensation is necessary to attract top talent. "There are plenty of extremely competent people in Quebec who only want one thing, to serve the public state," she said, "and who don't do it just for the money."

PQ MNA Pascal Bérubé also denounced the remuneration of senior executives of state-owned corporations.

"There are increases in bonuses at the Caisse de dépôt, at Investissement Québec, at Hydro-Québec, in several state corporations. Everyone is inflating their salaries. I think we should reconsider that," he said.

-- This report was first published in French by The Canadian Press on May 4, 2023.