Prime Minister François Legault defended Economy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon’s right to dine with his friends on Wednesday as opposition parties question his personal connections in a $100 million case.
Mr. Legault declared that the lobbyist Luc Laperrière, a friend of the Minister, had not been involved in the transaction by which the government and Investissement Québec became shareholders of the company Polycor, active in the extraction of granite.
A few hours after the announcement of the transaction, on May 4, Mr. Fitzgibbon had dinner with Mr. Laperrière, who has already had a lobbying mandate for Polycor, reported Wednesday. The Journal of Montreal.
In November 2020, Mr. Fitzgibbon was the subject of a reprimand by the Ethics Commissioner of the National Assembly, Ariane Mignolet, in connection with this lobbying mandate.
By going to the Blue Room for question period, Mr. Legault came to the defense of his minister, who has already been temporarily relieved of his duties because of his ethical disputes.
“He has the right to have dinner with his friends,” he said while walking, specifying that Mr. Laperrière had not been involved in the file.
During morning press briefings, the Parti Québécois and Québec solidaire declared that Ms. Mignolet should look into this transaction in Polycor.
For his part, Mr. Fitzgibbon attacked journalists on Wednesday, defending his right to privacy.
“My personal dinners are mine,” he said. In the case of Polycor, there are falsehoods that have been said. There will be investigations that will be made. Polycor, there is nothing at stake. »
The minister denounced “fantasies” concerning the file of the transaction of 100 million in Polycor, which is already the subject of checks by the commissioner of lobbying, Jean-François Routhier.
“The involvement of Investissement Québec, which has been rigorous, allows Polycor to keep a head office, to keep jobs and there we come up with the false amalgam that harms the company, he said. There is no appearance of a conflict of interest. »
Further details will follow.