Two more CAQ MNAs in hot water over alleged meetings in exchange for cash donation

René-Lévesque MNA Yves Montigny. (Source: Facebook)

QUEBEC CITY -

Two other Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) MNAs are in hot water for their solicitation messages.

Orford MNA Gilles Bélanger and his colleague from René-Lévesque, Yves Montigny, are in hot water, while two investigations are underway into the fundraising practices of other CAQ caucus members, Sylvain Lévesque and Louis-Charles Thouin.

The Canadian Press revealed on Monday that nearly half of Quebec's mayors had financed the CAQ since 2021. The opposition sees this as a "system," but the CAQ defended itself on Tuesday against setting up a cash-for-access system for its ministers.

In a message obtained by The Canadian Press on Tuesday afternoon, Bélanger invited the mayors of the Memphrémagog MRC to meet Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault in exchange for a $100 contribution.

"Mr. Gilles Bélanger will receive for his annual funding the Minister responsible for Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Geneviève Guilbault, at her request I'm sending you this invitation, he would be [honoured] by your presence," it reads.

"You will have the opportunity to discuss current topics such as connectivity, innovation and artificial intelligence, in a relaxed atmosphere."

The local municipal councillor who forwarded the message to The Canadian Press expressed his "discomfort" at this kind of solicitation and indicated that he had not attended the event.

Meanwhile, according to a screenshot obtained by Québec solidaire (QS), René-Lévesque MNA Yves Montigny invited a local entrepreneur to meet a minister at a cocktail party in exchange for a $100 contribution to the party's coffers.

"I know we haven't always done what you wanted, but this is a great opportunity to talk to a minister," it read.

"Are Quebecers right to be concerned about the CAQ monetizing access to its ministers?" asked Québec solidaire (QS) MNA Vincent Marissal during question period.

"The CAQ has set up a solicitation system based on access to its ministers," he said indignantly, provoking the irritation of the government's elected representatives.

Ironically, shortly afterwards, the Parti Québécois (PQ) unanimously passed a motion, including CAQ elected officials, to prohibit ministers from soliciting political contributions from their department's suppliers and recipients of financial assistance -- a recommendation of the Charbonneau commission.

This latest CAQ controversy comes on the heels of Monday's publication of a Canadian Press report revealing that nearly half of Quebec's mayors have contributed to the CAQ's election fund since the 2021 municipal elections.

Outraged by the CAQ's fundraising practices, the PQ announced that a future PQ government would prohibit its ministers from participating in partisan fundraising activities.

Two CAQ MPs, Louis-Charles Thouin and Sylvain Lévesque, are already under investigation by the Ethics Commissioner for their fundraising practices.

"Is there a system of payment for access to ministers at the CAQ? Mr. [François] Legault pleads coincidence, I think there are starting to be a lot of coincidences," quipped Québec solidaire (QS) parliamentary leader Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois at a press briefing Tuesday morning.

"It's not a practice I'm familiar with," assured government leader and Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette in a press scrum.

PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon also suspects the CAQ of using a "modus operandi," soliciting donations from mayors in exchange for a meeting with a minister at a cocktail party. Paying into a party's coffers is illegal to obtain a quid pro quo.

"Political financing should not place elected officials in a conflict of interest," said St-Pierre Plamondon in a press scrum.

"An MNA should not be sending messages to elected municipal officials saying: 'What a great opportunity to advance your file, what a great opportunity to meet the minister you never got to meet if you offer us $100 and attend our fundraising cocktail party'." 

In a message obtained by The Canadian Press last week, Louis-Charles Thouin invited the mayors of his riding to "combine business with pleasure" at a cocktail party where, in exchange for a $100 contribution to the election fund, they could meet Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault on Feb. 8 in Saint-Jacques.

"Geneviève and I would be delighted to welcome you and discuss various topics of concern to you, including road and public transit issues," it read.

In the face of controversy, the cocktail party was eventually postponed by the CAQ, and the National Assembly's Ethics Commissioner, Ariane Mignolet, announced on Monday that she was undertaking an investigation into the Thouin case, at the request of Québec solidaire.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Jan. 30, 2024.