The Minister responsible for Housing, France-Élaine Duranceau, and her lobbyist friend are still business partners in companies officially active in the real estate sector, her cabinet said on Friday.
Press officer Philippe Couture clarified this situation after first claiming erroneously on Thursday that two companies that link them were inactive.
The companies Nomi Immobilier and 5840-5842 Chateaubriand SEC are still active, according to the Quebec Business Register. Mr. Couture confirmed this information on Friday, stating that a dispute in the courts prevents the closure of Chateaubriand SEC.
“She was a friend and a business partner before entering politics,” said Mr. Couture at the Duty. It is certain that there, they are bound by this company, where nothing happens. »
After confirming that the two friends met on December 5 with the Minister for Health and Seniors, Sonia Bélanger, to discuss government issues, her office announced that this situation would not happen again.
Mme Duranceau intends to shut down all businesses that link her to her lobbyist friend once the ongoing litigation is settled, the minister’s office said. “They are still registered,” said Mr. Couture, adding that their business activities were however non-existent.
These companies appear in the declaration of interests that Mme Duranceau made to the Ethics Commissioner of the National Assembly, Ariane Mignolet. However, they are not the subject of a blind trust.
flips
The Parti Québécois MNA for the Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Joël Arseneau, drew a parallel between Minister Duranceau’s relations and the content of a bill she tabled before the adjournment of parliamentary proceedings last week. last, in the National Assembly. “Her professional history and her friendship with landlord lobbyists are very clear indicators of which interests she intends to promote in her law, while we are in the midst of a housing crisis,” he said.
According to the PQ MP, this latest development, concerning her ties with her friend and business partner, recalls Ms.me Duranceau in the real estate sector. “It should be remembered that his company made flips right in the worst of the crisis, he said. We don’t need an investigation by the Ethics Commissioner to figure out who she works for. My fear is that the Ministry of Housing is in the process of becoming, under Minister Duranceau, the Ministry of Real Estate. »
The deputy of Quebec solidaire Andrés Fontecilla believes that it would be a problem that Mme Duranceau has met her friend if they still have a business connection. “She has a responsibility to comply with the rules of ethics that govern us and to work in the interest of all Quebecers, not just owners and real estate investors,” he said.
This week, France-Élaine Duranceau expressed regret following a controversy sparked by her comments about lease assignments, a principle she wants to weaken in her bill.
The minister said Wednesday that she was sorry after saying that tenants who absolutely wanted to give up their lease “must invest in real estate and take the risks that go with it”.