Prime Minister François Legault assured Saturday that the Coalition futur Quebec (CAQ) does not intend to use public funds for partisan purposes.
Mr. Legault thus responded to the allegations of the Liberal Party of Quebec concerning training offered to employees of Members of Parliament working in constituencies.
Liberal MP Marc Tanguay said on Friday that Ethics Commissioner Ariane Mignolet has opened an investigation into the matter following a complaint he filed. The Liberal member suspects the Liberals are using public funds for partisan purposes.
Mr. Legault pleaded that this training was used precisely to prevent partisan advertising from being financed by public funds.
“We must explain correctly what can be done with funds from the CAQ and what must be paid with funds from the National Assembly”, he said before the opening of a general council of his party. at the end of the week.
The Liberals were informed of this initiative following the erroneous sending to members of all parties of a document from this party, which was reserved only for Caquists.
Two CAQ employees this week gave this training to political employees paid by public funds, indicates this series of Power Point slides sent to the media by the Liberals.
None of these sheets specifies the criteria that distinguish partisan advertising from advertising that can be paid for with public funds.
Mr. Legault was not able to specify what these criteria are or why none is mentioned in the training documents.
“It is important that all political parties properly inform their deputies of what we have the right to do and not the right to advertise during the next year,” he said.
The document sent in error by the CAQ indicates the objective of the training is to “reach out to voters to inform them and facilitate their participation in the poll”. The role of employees “in the advertising communication activity” is to “meet the specific needs of the campaign in your constituency”, we can also read.
“Advertising in a political context […] a tool to support the steps of the deputy / candidate and the party ”, indicates the text in this presentation of PowerPoint slides dated November 10th.
The training also specifies that constituency employees can, as part of their advertising activities, make requests through Coaliste, the computer platform used by the CAQ. The document specifies that all “Assnat advertising placements” (National Assembly) must cease “after Midsummer Day and Canada Day”.