(Sherbrooke) The opposition is calling for an investigation into the financing practices of the CAQ deputy for Rousseau, Louis-Charles Thouin.
The Canadian Press learned Tuesday that Mr. Thouin is asking the mayors of his riding to contribute to the CAQ fund, in exchange for a meeting scheduled for February 8 with the Minister of Transport, Geneviève Guilbault.
In a letter sent Wednesday to the Ethics Commissioner of the National Assembly, MP Vincent Marissal, of Québec solidaire, maintains that Mr. Thouin contravened the code of ethics for parliamentarians.
The Liberal opposition also asked the Ethics Commissioner to look into his case.
Even the president of the Treasury Board, CAQ Minister Sonia LeBel, refused to say on Wednesday whether her colleague’s actions were legal or not.
In his letter, Mr. Marissal asks Commissioner Ariane Mignolet to investigate “the financing schemes of the CAQ”.
The solicitation message sent by Mr. Thouin and obtained by La Presse Canadienne contravenes several articles of the code of ethics for elected officials, believes the QS MP.
Let us specify that the CAQ deputy addressed the 10 elected officials of the MRC of Montcalm, telling them that he had to raise “funds for the next elections” and that he was thus offering a private cocktail with Geneviève Guilbault at a cost of 100 $ per admission, February 8.
“The mayors of his constituency who would agree to help him in this enterprise following his own requests would find themselves rendering him a service which would then put Mr. Thouin in a position of obvious accountability placing him in a situation where his personal interest could influence his independence of judgment in the exercise of his office”, which would contravene one of the articles of the code, writes Mr. Marissal in his request.
The QS MP then asks questions about the privileged access offered by the MP and the interests involved.
“By offering to give – in return for a financial contribution – to the mayors of his constituency privileged access to a minister with whom they are likely to have several interests to assert, has Mr. Thouin not acted in such a way as to favor the interests of these mayors in an abusive manner? » asks Mr. Marissal.
He recalls that under article 29 of the Code of Ethics, “a deputy cannot solicit, encourage, accept or receive, for himself or for another person, any advantage whatsoever in exchange for a intervention or taking a position on any question on which it may be called upon to rule, in particular a question which may be referred to the National Assembly or a committee.”
In a press scrum at the Liberal caucus meeting in a hotel in Thetford Mines, Liberal MP Monsef Derraji stressed that mayors should not have to pay $100 to meet a minister whose job it is to meet elected officials.
” This is unacceptable. Clearly, there is reason for the Ethics Commissioner to examine his situation, if he had the right to engage in this type of financing practice. »
The Liberal opposition is “analyzing the content of the emails, the scope of the content of the emails, how he approached people to attend” the meeting with the minister, he added.
Sonia LeBel said she was letting the organizations responsible for carrying out investigations examine the situation.
“We will let them express themselves if necessary,” she mentioned in a press scrum at the caucus of CAQ elected officials meeting in Sherbrooke for two days.
She was chief prosecutor of the Charbonneau commission which was responsible for investigating allegations of corruption and collusion, but she refused to comment on the legality of MP Thouin’s actions.
“If there are adjustments to be made, whether the rules were respected in this specific case, I am not able to say. I will not comment on a situation of which I have no personal knowledge. »