The mayor of Quebec, Bruno Marchand, raises his voice against Radio X, the day after comments made on the air by host Dominic Mrais, who had suggested that the elected official would have a cannabis vaper in his office, in reference to his tram decisions. The City does not rule out a lawsuit, but, above all, will study whether there is still reason to advertise in this station.
“We are not ruling anything out, neither for this event nor for the next ones. It’s over, the time to let say anything. It’s been going on for months. From the beginning to the end of this show, we are capable of lying, of telling falsehoods, of using nicknames, of doing everything to discredit. And it’s not just the mayor, it’s the political class. There is a time when it stops. It’s now, ”thundered the mayor on Thursday, in a press scrum.
Earlier, Wednesday, on his show May Livehost Dominic Mrais attacked the mayor of Quebec during a segment devoted in particular to the tramway project, in connection with the preparatory work that began in Sainte-Foy.
“Could someone, during the night, go and check if there is a wax pen who hangs out in the mayor’s office? It’s a verification. I’m sure there isn’t, but I just want to be reassured. It’s big stuff “, he said, qualifying the elected municipal official as a “guru”, even as “Raël Marchand” who “lives in his utopia”.
PHOTO YAN DOUBLET, LE SOLEIL ARCHIVES
Dominic Mrais
At the City, these remarks do not pass, to the point where procedures could be initiated. “We will see the means that we can take and with whom we can associate. Afterwards, on the investment made by the City in terms of advertising, if the legal framework confirms that they are in the wrong, we will see what actions we take. […] If they exceed the limits of the legal, it is sure that we will study it, ”explained Mr. Marchand.
The mayor received Thursday the support of the president of the Quebec Federation of Municipalities (FQM), Jacques Demers. “Whether inappropriate or defamatory comments are written on social media or said behind a radio microphone, it remains unacceptable. Having a microphone is a privilege and you have to use it with judgment,” he said.
Three years after Labeaume
In recent history, relations between the City of Quebec and CHOI Radio X have often been strained. In September 2020, the administration of Mayor Régis Labeaume put an end to its purchases of advertising on the airwaves of the radio, considering that the station “constitutes a danger to public health”. RNC Media then put Quebec City on notice, following the departure of many advertisers from the airwaves.
After coming to power in December 2021, Bruno Marchand defended his decision to start buying ads on Radio X again. “Public money cannot become political money. […] The day when the mayor uses public money to hold political debates, I think we have a democratic problem, ”said the mayor at the time.
On Thursday, the elected official, however, made a clear link with the coalition “Let’s get out the radios-trash”, which RNC Media accuses of harming its activities, in court.
“This station feels outraged, damaged in its reputation because there is a group on Facebook that repeats its words. She appeals to the courts to say that her reputation is tarnished by the action of a citizen. However, when it is their case to tarnish the reputation of people, it does not matter. It’s a joke. In this case, it’s funny, ”continued the mayor, who demands “at the very least an apology” from Mr. Mrais.
The “dishonest” mayor, retorts RNC Media
The two men are not in their first conflict. In September, Dominic Mrais had made a link between Father Bernard St-Onge, who allegedly assaulted him in his youth, and the mayor. The Radio X host is one of dozens of plaintiffs who are suing the Diocese of Trois-Rivières for sexual assaults committed by numerous priests and staff members.
Philippe Lefebvre, vice-president of RNC Media, which owns Radio X, defends the words of his host. He maintains that the mayor’s interpretation of the comments made on the air is “extremely dishonest”. “To say that our host associated the mayor with someone who uses drugs is false and dishonest,” he wrote by email.
“To say of someone that he smokes good when you want to imply that a person is saying eccentric or flyaways, it has nothing to do with the consumption of any drug. It means, quite simply, that a person makes remarks, let’s say, that are out of the ordinary,” adds Mr. Lefebvre.
“Never, never, never, neither in intention, nor in substance, nor in tone, nor in context, Dominic [Maurais] doesn’t mean the mayor is on drugs,” he concludes.