Couillard takes heat over links to fundraiser

The three opposition parties in the National Assembly took turns on Wednesday once again railing against the Quebec Liberal Party in general and Premier Philippe Couillard in particular for a perceived lack of ethics.

Basing his attack on reports in the Journal de Québec, Parti Québécois MNA Pascal Bérubé began the attack by asserting the Liberals were under the sway of party fundraiser Marc Bibeau.

On Wednesday, the Journal reported Bibeau had organized seven luxurious parties during which Liberal cabinet ministers were put into contact with engineering firms that had donated to the party.

According to the report, nearly all of the Liberal cabinet of 20032004 were invited to the parties, including Couillard, then minister of health, as well as Jacques Dupuis, Michelle Courchesne, Norman MacMillan, Lise Thériault, Jacques Chagnon, Julie Boulet and Geoffrey Kelley.

Bérubé demanded explanations from those ministers still in office today and called on the province’s director of elections to examine the news reports, particularly those alleging that cabinet offices had contributed to party activities.

Coalition Avenir Québec MNA Éric Caire said he was “disgusted” by the “influence peddling.” He said he suspected Bibeau still had “a long reach” and obtained lucrative government contracts.

Québec Solidaire MNA Amir Khadir did not hesitate to speak of a “corruption” that “infects the Liberal party and has not been settled.”

However, Liberal MNA Serge Simard retorted that the reports dated “from another era.” Liberal cabinet minister Robert Poëti noted that laws had been tightened since the incidents are reported to have occurred.