The MP for René-Lévesque, Yves Montigny, is now responsible for the political relations of part of Gaspésie with the government, learned The duty. A decision taken to avoid conflicts of interest between the CAQ member of Bonaventure, Catherine Blouin, and her spouse, who is mayor of Carleton-sur-Mer.
The decision was made “to avoid any appearance of conflict of interest”, Ms.me Blouin in a written statement sent to the Duty.
Elected for the first time in the 2022 elections, Catherine Blouin represents the riding of Bonaventure where the municipality of Carleton-sur-Mer is located, of which her spouse, Mathieu Lapointe, is the mayor.
Mr. Lapointe is also the prefect of one of the five regional county municipalities (Avignon) and president of the Table which represents all the prefects of the region.
In order not to deal with his MNA spouse, Mr. Lapointe must, since March, question the MNA for René-Lévesque (Côte-Nord), Yves Montigny, when he has political communications to make to the government as mayor or as prefect.
On the other hand, when he has representations to make as president of the Table des préfets de la Gaspésie, he must go through the minister responsible for the region, Maïté Blanchette-Vézina.
An outside MP with experience
However, last Friday, the local radio station CHNC published an article in which Ms. Blouin reacted to an outing by Mr. Lapointe concerning the Regional Initiatives Assistance Fund (FAIR). Mr. Lapointe regretted that the region is no longer benefiting from this fund. However, M.me Blouin later said that “other programs” dedicated to economic development would compensate.
Why not let someone else comment for him? The spokesperson for the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), Marc Danis, indicated that she could not “refuse to comment on all regional issues”. He also mentioned that it was not his initiative to answer, but that a journalist had questioned him about it.
The day after the election, the couple agreed to consult the Ethics Commissioner to find out what guidelines to establish. The latter has since provided them with a legal opinion which has not been made public.
In interview in December at DutyMr. Lapointe had said he intended to do business with the MP for the neighboring riding of Gaspé, Stéphane Sainte-Croix, in his dealings with the government.
However, the caucus of CAQ deputies confirmed to the Duty that it would rather be up to Mr. Montigny to play this role “because of his municipal experience”.