The Kings in Quebec | Québec solidaire will ask the General Auditor to investigate

(Montreal) Québec solidaire will ask the Auditor General of Quebec to investigate the envelope of 5 to 7 million intended to attract the Los Angeles Kings to Quebec, next year, to play preparatory matches at the Videotron Center.

In a telephone interview with La Presse Canadienne, the solidarity MP for Rosemont and responsible for the party in matters of ethics and sports, Vincent Marissal, was still stunned by the daily revelations. The PressSaturday morning, according to which the CAQ government used the National Capital Region Fund (FRCN), which notably finances the projects of community and non-profit organizations.

Journalist Tommy Chouinard revealed on Saturday that the fund had been increased by the necessary sum and that the expenditure would be spread over two years given that normally authorized projects cannot exceed three million dollars.

“We learned in The Press that there were all kinds of tricks to free up the funds which were not at all intended for that, that we did this by decree in secret and that we are doing this over two years so that it passes” , lists Mr. Marissal, still absent from the National Assembly due to convalescence.

The MP does not hesitate to say that “this looks like a misappropriation of public funds for non-legitimate purposes”.

“It’s worrying when the government starts fiddling with public funds for a whim of the Prime Minister who really likes hockey,” continues Mr. Marissal, adding that the management of the FRCN relies in particular on a right of oversight of the part of municipal elected officials.

Solidarity welcomed the few CAQ deputies who themselves questioned the legitimacy of the expenditure. “I congratulate the elected officials who oppose it and I urge them to express their point of view to the council of ministers,” he said. It takes courage to challenge Mr. Legault and come out in public. »

“Begging” behavior

Maurice-Richard’s solidarity deputy, Haroun Bouazzi, will also table a motion in the National Assembly at the beginning of next week to ask the government to back down on its controversial investment.

“It’s the only thing to do,” underlines Vincent Marissal. Frankly, it’s shameful, it’s inexplicable and it makes no sense. That he [le gouvernement] back off, that’s the only thing to do. This is what the population is asking for. I won’t give up. »

The member for Rosemont does not believe that this criticized expenditure aims to obtain the return of the Nordiques to Quebec. “It’s more of a demonstration that the government is behaving like a beggar when it comes to the NHL,” he says.

Mr. Marissal says he is in favor of the return of a professional hockey team to the capital, but this should not be managed with public funds, he insists.

“It must be done in a regulatory manner, within an accounting framework and within the parameters authorized by the sound management of public funds,” he said.

“The NHL is not Comptoir Emmaüs, it’s a big business that makes good money,” jokes Mr. Marissal, referring to an organization that helps the most deprived, notably through sale of goods and used items that it receives as donations.

Liberals and PQ members equally stunned

The Liberal Party of Quebec is also stunned by the measure announced by Minister Éric Girard on Wednesday.

“There is no more room for maneuver in the state coffers. We learned this morning that to subsidize the two NHL preparatory matches in Quebec, the Legault government is using a regional fund for business projects and local non-profit organizations, the FRCN,” recalled interim leader Marc Tanguay. , in a long publication on X, formerly Twitter.

“Quebec did not finance NHL games at the Videotron Center in 2017 and 2018. Recently, the government of Nova Scotia also spent nothing on the Pittsburgh Penguins’ visit to Halifax. By spending 7 million of Quebecers’ money in this way, do you consider yourself [François Legault] still on the cow land? », concluded the member for LaFontaine.

Also on The Pressmentioning that the saga was going “better and better (read: worse and worse)”.

“In order to give a gift of 5 to 7 million to hockey billionaires, the government used a fund intended for local non-profit organizations (the “Capitale-Nationale Region Fund”) and bypassed the funds. rules of operation. Is this a “prudent use of public funds”? With the required transparency? Are we appealing to the intelligence of the people of Quebec and Quebec? It’s up to them to judge,” wrote Mr. Paradis, the text of which was shared by his boss, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon.