Two more CAQ MNAs in hot water over alleged meetings in exchange for cash donation
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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
DEVELOPING Live updates from the Trump hush money trial: Stormy Daniels, bookkeeper testify
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Boeing 737 catches fire and skids off the runway at a Senegal airport, injuring 10 people
A Boeing 737-300 plane carrying 85 people skidded off a runway at the airport in Dakar, Senegal's capital, injuring 10 people, according to the transport minister, an airline safety group and footage from a passenger that showed the aircraft on fire.
Breast cancer screening should start at age 40, Canadian Cancer Society says
The Canadian Cancer Society says all provinces and territories should lower the starting age for breast cancer screening to 40.
Man accused of killing two children at Quebec daycare to stand trial in April 2025
The man accused of murdering two children and injuring six others after a city bus crashed into a Montreal-area daycare is scheduled to stand trial over five weeks beginning in April 2025.