Paradis goes on the offensive

CONT’D

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While there were recommendations that could better clarify the housing allocation rules for MNA’S, Fournier explained that the report must be either accepted or rejected in its entirety. Based on the accusations against Paradis, Fournier said Liberals couldn’t approve the report.

“How can we vote for it if the consequence is to be unjust to Mr. Paradis?”

During the press conference, Fournier referred to Paradis’ brief, saying he had not yet read it.

The decision of the liberals to junk the ethics commissioners’ report suggests someone from the party had a look at Paradis’ brief.

After being the subject of two politically damaging inquiries, both of which have since been discredited, Paradis proposed an inquiry of his own.

“I have reason to believe that 1) the sexual aggression allegations, 2) the complaint concerning my housing, filed against me in succession by the same accuser, were made with the intention of harming me and aimed at compromising my role as Minister of Agriculture,” Paradis’ statement read.

The brief also suggested that Paradis’ accuser was a former work colleague of Ethics Commissioner Ariane Mignolet, calling her impartiality into question.

Paradis also called into question the government’s decision to cancel the implementation of administrative changes to the agricultural land tax subsidies program (Programme de crédit de taxes foncières agricoles) just days after he had been stripped of his ministerial role.

“In my 37-year career, I’ve seen and lived through a lot of government decisions. But a total reversal on a reform supported by the government as a whole, even before the publication of an independent report that would have supported the reform, already in progress, is troubling,” Paradis stated.

“I have reason to believe that an inquiry is necessary to determine if my role as Minister of Agriculture could have been compromised in bad faith, and that my expulsion served a political agenda.”

Paradis concluded his brief saying that his priority is to fully regain his health as quickly as possible and return to the National Assembly.

“Regretfully, it seems improbable at the present time that I will be able to run in the next election, but I will give myself until the beginning of the month of July to make a final decision,” Paradis said.