Party not aware of illegal funds: premier

Posted By: Angelica Montgomery · 3/19/2013 6:12:00 PM

Pauline Marois says her party had no knowledge of any disguised illegal donations allegedly passed to the PQ over the course of 12 years.

Three witnesses from engineering firms have testified over the past several days to giving thousands in illegal financing to the PQ, Liberals and ADQ.

"Our party wasn't aware. Our party didn't want that," says Marois. "Our party asked those who contributed to the Parti Quebecois to sign personal cheques that were their own personal donations."

So far, executives from SNC-Lavalin, Genivar, and BPR has testified to handing her party more than $700 thousand from 1998 to 2010. That includes two years in which Pauline Marois was at the head of the party.

The Liberals are also alleged to have gathered a similar amount - nearly $900 thousand.

For years, the Parti Quebecois had condemned the Liberals over allegations of illegal financing. But Pauline Marois says the accusations against her own party are different.

"The Liberal government refused to hold an inquiry on the tendering of construction contracts and political party financing." She says her party asked questions and insisted on an investigation.

PQ chief of staff implicated

Former PQ MNA Lucie Papineau was also named yesterday by SNC-Lavalin executive Yves Cadotte. He said she was an intermediary who gathered the disguised donations from his firm for the Parti Quebecois.

Papineau is currently in a position of power in the Parti Quebecois government as the Family minister's chief of staff.

"She was working as a volunteer for the Parti Quebecois," says Marois.

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  1. clint posted on 03/19/2013 07:40 PM
    "her party had no knowledge of any disguised illegal donations allegedly passed to the PQ"...Lol Pauline....that was a good one!
    " the accusations against her own party are different".... of course.....YOUR party is above the law.
    1. Le Québécois posted on 03/26/2013 11:46 AM
      @clint Her party WANTED a commission and the liberals made every effort not to have one, this is what she meant.

      Being too generous for one party is one thing, the problem is when people expect something in return like in the liberal party.

      Aside from angry anglos viscerally affraid of nationalism, why would people vote for a party like the liberals with no vision whatsoever except to take power and keep it, except for the money or other advantages ?
  2. keith rowe posted on 03/19/2013 09:37 PM
    Yeah like I didn't know that Quebec was a country? What kind of bold face lies are u as premier of Quebec trying to convey with the citizens of Quebec- do u think we are all stupid like the majority of your MNAs that are trying to force legislation down the throats of people???
    1. Le Québécois posted on 03/26/2013 11:51 AM
      @keith rowe are trying to force legislation down the throats of people???

      Don't you remember the liberals with their numerous "loi baillons", or Bill 78 ? Don't you see Harper passing mammoth laws with the minimum possible amount of time to debate ?

      You may dislike Bill 14 and that is your choice, but there is plenty of time for all the anglos to tell all of their complaints in the hearing sessions and the PQ is listening to every one of them.

      "Yeah like I didn't know that Quebec was a country?"
      Finally you understand... :)
  3. Drew posted on 03/19/2013 10:35 PM
    When you get caught with your hand in the cookie jar the first response not me
  4. LMAO posted on 03/19/2013 11:55 PM
    Pauline Marois says her party had no knowledge of any disguised illegal donations allegedly passed to the PQ over the course of 12 years. For years, the Parti Quebecois had condemned the Liberals over allegations of illegal financing. But Pauline Marois says the accusations against her own party are different.

    Different in which way we might ask ourselves??

    It was only a matter of time before something that would incriminate another corrupt political party was revealed and there is likely more to come yet as the months years and decades of the commission pass by. You can look into a lot of closets in the time they have been granted now.
  5. anon posted on 03/20/2013 12:02 AM
    Just like all the people we see at Charbonneau. Nobody knows nothing.

    After the tape plays, they then claim they didn't know it was "wrong".

    When exactly can this be called a culture of corruption?
    1. Le Québécois posted on 03/26/2013 11:53 AM
      @anon They have been inspired by their counterparts at the federal level during the Gomery commission. :)

      Corrupt country indeed...
  6. j.s. posted on 03/20/2013 07:25 AM
    Didn't know anything and never will. Just like every other politician in this province.
  7. j.s. posted on 03/20/2013 09:55 AM
    and that wasn't her marching with the students last fall either, must be a parallel universe eh Pauline.
  8. Enzo posted on 03/20/2013 12:21 PM
    Madame Marios,

    People who live in glass houses should not throw stones. You have been talking trash of the Liberal party for years because of this issue, time for you to concentrate on your own mess.
  9. Ivan posted on 03/20/2013 11:11 PM
    This is nothing wait to the charbonneau commission starts investigating the activities of those close to Mme Marois.
    1. Le Québécois posted on 03/26/2013 11:56 AM
      @Ivan Unfortunately if they start with the liberals first they will be so busy there will be no time left before the end of the commission. :)
  10. Katherine posted on 03/21/2013 07:04 AM
    I cannot understand how when anything about language comes up we are all commenting, losing our heads (rightfully so) and commenting for days, but the PQ is caught with their pants down and we are all silent, no comments!!??!!??!!?? Why do we sit silent knowing that this party is just as corrupt (if not more so ) than the Liberals and we say nothing. It is not only about language people, it is about everything else that they are doing and we are sitting silent.
    1. Le Québécois posted on 03/26/2013 12:02 PM
      @Katherine Believe it or not angryphones talk more about language and pasta then even the most ardent french language activists and politicians.

      "focus on the economy" is simply a diversion for french people not to realize that they are being englicized day by day and to prevent them from reacting about it.

      Well at least we can say that angryphones are a nice "cultural community" :)
      As long as they don't infringe upon our "constitutional" right to live and work in french or start "de-cohesion"ing our nation then that's fine :)
  11. Rolls posted on 03/26/2013 11:33 AM
    A government leader pleading ignorance is no excuse...YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO KNOW!!
    Need any tips...just Gerald tremblay!
  12. Murray posted on 03/28/2013 06:37 AM
    McLean's Martin Patriquin must be enjoying this one. He had the gall to point out 2 yrs ago that Quebec was Canada's most corrupt province. Since then everyone has gone out of their way to prove his case
  13. coeur de spaghat posted on 03/31/2013 10:48 PM
    Ha ha. The real question is "Is there any party in this navel gazing province that isn't making money off the manipulated masses?". Keep them isolated and uninformed and they'll waste all their time fighting each other. Keeps the fat cat politicos fat and the voters ignorant of the real issues and poor. Thousands march for a few hundred dollars in tuition but none are in the streets over millions lost to corruption. Classic manipulation by the elites. It's part of our unique culture. :-)
  14. ROC posted on 04/02/2013 02:27 AM
    OSED RECIPIENTS




    Top 10 ideas to make Quebec a distinct society by Pauline 'la Reine' Marois

    1)
    Quebec will now have its own time zone. We will be 1 hour and ten years behind the rest of America.

    2)
    The Office québecois de la langue francaise will hire 1.5 million new language police over a three year period. These new positions will first be filled by the 500,000 Quebecers who lose their jobs in each of the next three years as our economy goes down the drain.

    3)
    Bill 14 will be amended to now restrict the use of English in households with more than 2 occupants.

    4)
    A new Government Department will be created to deal with multinational companies looking to invest in Quebec. This new department will consist of a team of 2 psychologists who will assess the mental stability of the directors of the investing company and their employees wishing to relocate to Quebec. It will also ensure that their children attend French schools.

    5)
    The new highest personal marginal tax bracket in Quebec will be increased to 58%. The new corporate tax rate will match that of France at 75%. This increased rate will be fazed in over 4 years for anyone with an income.

    6)
    University tuition freezes will be granted... however Quebec Pension Plan payments will now only start when you reach the age of 90.

    7)
    The Quebec French Dictionary will now define "majority" as anything over 33% since that equates with the percentage of the population that voted PQ. The second change is in the definition of the term "racism" which shall henceforth now be defined as only meaning attacks or restrictions against the language or religion of the majority of the population in Quebec.

    8)
    Tourists coming to Quebec must be able to pass a French literacy exam prior to entering the province in order that we avoid those unpleasant instances when they are greeted at a store, hotel, restaurant or by a Montreal bus driver in a language they don't understand.

    9)
    Corruption laws will be introduced to ensure that any kick back arrangements between private industry and government leaders are now done strictly in French.

    10)
    The cities of Hampstead, Cote St. Luc, Westmount, TMR, and Montreal-West will be merged into one mega city which will be named "À vendre, pas cher".
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