The mayor of Montreal defended on Wednesday an invitation to a $100 fundraising cocktail which put forward the possibility of meeting her.
A virtual invitation published in June 2023 on the Projet Montréal website touted the possibility of “meeting Valérie Plante and the entire team of elected officials” by participating in a cocktail party held the same month at the Science Center. “The ticket costs $100 and includes appetizers, drinks (alcoholic or not) and the chance to interact with all those who are shaping a greener, fairer and more inclusive Montreal. »
Three weeks after the start of the controversy over the financing of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), Mme Plante assured that his political party followed all established rules.
“There are clear rules regarding how we must provide financing, it must not be in exchange for anything and that is how Projet Montréal has always operated,” she said. said, on the sidelines of a press conference.
Valérie Plante argued that she believed in the importance of political contributions. “It’s an annual cocktail, everyone is invited at the same time, everyone is there, it’s a great party, it’s really an occasion. I present myself on stage so that I can come and give a speech, [galvaniser] the crowd,” she said.
“When we respect the rules (and the rules are very clear), I think that popular financing has its place,” she continued. “It is one of the tools available to the population to get involved in democratic life. »