Ready to complete the work of René Lévesque, Prime Minister François Legault announced Thursday that the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) will forgo approximately one million dollars per year in voter donations in order to put an end to a controversy over its financing practices.
Mr. Legault took note of the doubts raised by the participation of ministers in his government in fundraising cocktails which have made headlines in recent days.
“There is one thing that I am not capable of accepting, which is that my integrity is called into question, the integrity of my party, of our deputies, of our government,” he declared in a press briefing. For me, that is the most precious thing, integrity. I am announcing that from now on, the CAQ will renounce private financing. »
Mr. Legault invited other political parties to do the same until a solution is agreed with the Director General of Elections of Quebec, who himself expressed reservations about the appearances created by the participation of ministers in fundraising activities and access that donors can obtain with a political contribution.
“A political party that receives private donations, there can be an appearance that we feel obliged to listen more to these people,” he admitted.
The CAQ will rely solely on public funding that the state pays to political parties based on the number of votes received, which constitutes the majority of their budget.
Mr. Legault affirmed that the support of other political parties will be necessary to modify the Election Act, an option mentioned earlier this week by the government, whose parliamentary re-entry was marked by the subject of political financing.
“There is a growing trend in Quebec to move towards public funding, to complete the work of René Lévesque,” he said.
Mr. Legault estimated that the value of voters’ contributions to the CAQ is approximately one million dollars.
“It’s still not nothing,” he said. Integrity is too important to me, so we’re giving up that part. »
More details to come.