(Djerba, Quebec) François Legault defends the subsidy program criticized by the Québec Ombudsman by affirming that certain programs must be able to get out of the “boxes” of bureaucracy, but recognizes that it is nevertheless necessary to demonstrate transparency.
“As far as I know, it’s not a system of favouritism, it’s a system where it may be more difficult to regulate funding,” said the Prime Minister on the sidelines of a press briefing as part of the Francophonie Summit, which is being held in Djerba, Tunisia.
“If tomorrow morning the Breakfast Club comes and says to you, I need money for the children to eat in the elementary schools, well, does this have to be treated the same as another request ? We must leave room for judgment and above all, above all, we must be transparent, ”he added.
The day before, the Québec Ombudsman stated in an investigation report that the political cabinet of the Ministry of Education is accused of “serious breaches” and preferential treatment in its management of a subsidy program. The complaint was made in February 2018, when the Couillard government was in power, but the problem was not corrected until April 2022.
The investigation revealed a closeness between certain subsidized organizations and the political office of the Ministry of Education. The ombudsman claims that the discretion to award a grant was exercised unfairly.
Preferential treatment
“In several situations, organizations have truly benefited from preferential treatment”, we note in the document. On Friday, the ombudsman Marc-André Dowd said in a press release “although the disclosure was received in February 2018, the investigation spanned several years, until November 2021”. He also claimed that “our finding of wrongdoing is directed at the Department of Education and not at specific individuals.”
Prime Minister François Legault, however, retorts that sometimes we have to act quickly and use “our judgment”.
“The idea is not to favor one or the other, we are helping children who do not have enough to eat, via Allo Profs, children who have learning difficulties, help children in indigenous communities.
Is it always possible to say… The government is often criticized for being too bureaucratic, for saying if it doesn’t fit not in the box, well it’s valuable, but we can’t help you. Can we use our judgment while being 100% transparent, ”he said.
He therefore asked the new Minister of Education, Bernard Drainville, to make public all the amounts that are given as subsidies. For his part, the Québec Ombudsman sent the department nine recommendations. He affirms that the department has “produced a major action plan” and that half of the recommendations have been implemented.