The opposition events Tuesday dug of their heels in opposing a CAQ proposal to debate political financing guidelines. The Liberal, Québec solidaire and Parti Québécois say it’s nothing greater than a smokescreen to keep away from the true concern.
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QUEBEC — The three opposition events have rejected a proposal to assessment Quebec’s political financing guidelines, prompting the Coalition Avenir Québec authorities to accuse them of being incoherent and solely fascinated about mudslinging.
Because the saga over political financing ethics dragged right into a second week on the legislature, CAQ home chief Simon Jolin-Barrette lashed out on the Liberal, Québec solidaire and Parti Québécois opposition events for snubbing the federal government’s supply made final week within the warmth of the controversy over political financing.
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“The opposition events have launched a mudslinging marketing campaign and the second we prolong a hand they flip round and say no we don’t need to discuss,” Jolin-Barrette mentioned because the disagreement heated up. “They refuse to simply accept an prolonged hand. It’s not acceptable.”
Jolin-Barrette was reacting to information the opposition events had not solely refused a request by Premier François Legault to observe the CAQ’s determination to cease non-public fundraising as his occasion has, they’ve additionally given a thumbs-down to an invite to debate political financing.
The invitation was despatched to the three events by Quebec Minister of Democratic Establishments Jean-François Roberge.
It adopted the CAQ’s determination to cease fundraising, for now, as allegations float that CAQ backbenchers have been providing mayors and entrepreneurs entry to cupboard ministers for the worth of a $100 ticket to a fundraising cocktail occasion. Two CAQ MNAs are underneath investigation by Quebec’s ethics commissioner in consequence.
On Monday, officers with the Directeur générale des élections du Québec (DGEQ) confirmed the CAQ now not is on the checklist of political events on its web site accepting political donations.
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“The measure is now in place, on the request of the occasion,” DGEQ spokesperson Julie St-Arnaud mentioned.
The CAQ’s personal web site has additionally dropped the donation possibility.
The choice to not settle for donations comes at a worth for the CAQ, which in 2023 raised greater than $800,000 this fashion.
However arriving on the legislature Tuesday, the opposition events have been nonetheless hopping mad on the CAQ’s manoeuvring. They mentioned the one cause the CAQ needs to change the foundations is as a result of they bought caught not respecting them.
All three mentioned the one place they’re keen to debate financing guidelines is earlier than a standing committee of the DGEQ, which meets repeatedly outdoors the legislature.
“What the CAQ is doing is making a diversion, a smokescreen, making an attempt to create a parallel course of within the hope of avoiding the eye on the Nationwide Meeting,” QS co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois advised reporters earlier within the day.
“I believe they’re making an attempt to cover the very fact they haven’t been respecting the legislation,” added interim Liberal chief Marc Tanguay. “It’s a pleasant try and attempt to cowl the very fact they’ve been behaving badly.”
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In one other twist, Le Soleil reported Tuesday that the DGEQ had issued a warning again in October about potential issues linked to the presence of ministers at such fundraising occasions.
In a 172-page report, the DGEQ concluded: “The presence of a minister at a fundraising exercise could possibly be (or appear to be) linked to contributions made by donors on the identical exercise.”
Le Soleil additionally reported the extent that the CAQ was making use of such occasions to lift cash. Of the 30 ministers within the Legault cupboard, 29 participated in such fundraising actions since being named to cupboard in 2022.
Two specifically, Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault and Financial system Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon, stood out, attending 16 occasions every.
That revelation raised questions within the thoughts of PQ MNA Pascal Bérubé, who famous Guilbault and Fitzgibbon head two ministries that give out massive authorities grants. Final week, PQ Chief Paul St-Pierre Plamondon proposed ministers now not be allowed to attend such features.
The three opposition events have determined to retain the non-public fundraising possibility as a result of they assume it’s a citizen’s democratic proper to donate to a celebration they consider in.
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“That is how now we have rolled for the final 50 years,” Bérubé mentioned, calling the CAQ’s present state of affairs a “fiasco.”
All of the opposition events famous inconsistencies within the CAQ’s political spin concerning the financing guidelines, noting the identical occasion that at this time needs to cease elevating non-public donations advised the identical DGEQ standing committee a number of weeks earlier that they needed to extend the authorized degree of donations from $100 to $200.
The standing committee, which incorporates members of all of the events, had agreed to the rise solely to see the CAQ drop the proposal final week when allegations of MNA fundraising strategies emerged.
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However the CAQ’s issues bought worse with the launch Tuesday of a brand new Léger ballot confirming, once more, that the PQ has taken a lead in public opinion over it in Quebec.
Had an election been held this week, the PQ would have obtained 32 per cent of the vote in contrast with 25 per cent for the CAQ. QS is at 16 per cent, the Liberals 15 per cent and the Conservative Social gathering of Quebec 11 per cent.
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