The elected members of the National Assembly unanimously demanded that the Director-General for Elections (DGEQ) release the documents of the investigation into the financing of the No camp during the 1995 referendum.
• Also read: Ghazal replies to the block leader: Blanchet promotes a sovereignty that excludes immigrants
The PQ motion, which asks the DGEQ to disclose the archives of the Grenier Commission, was passed unanimously in Parliament on Thursday morning. However, at the time of the vote, just after Question Time, 23 MEPs were not in the Chamber.
Otherwise, the application of the elected officials will be forwarded to the DGEQ. According to Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, the way the order to keep certain testimonies and documents secret was drafted leaves “room” for the DGEQ to release them.
“He could say no, but given the steps we’ve just taken, it would be surprising,” he said at a news conference.
At the request of Quebec’s Chief Electoral Officer in 2006, Commissioner Bernard Grenier investigated the activities of Option Canada, the No side, before the election.
The Grenier Commission’s final report said more than $500,000 was the subject of unauthorized election expenses in the months leading up to the vote on Quebec’s fate.
“A nice moment of politics”
Hours before the motion passed in the House of Representatives, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon welcomed the fact that all parties had decided to support his motion and described the episode as a “beautiful political moment” in which everyone acted by were motivated by “the search for truth, justice and the proper functioning of our institutions”.
But there is a stain on this board. During Wednesday’s debate, Solidarnosc MP Ruba Ghazal used her motion to lash out at bloc leader Yves-François Blanchet, who earlier this week questioned his sovereignist allegiances, on the pretext that Ms Ghazal already had for the new Federal Democratic Party voted (NDP).
“I find it difficult to understand why we are opening a discussion forum on an important historical event (…) that we are abusing this moment for non-partisan purposes towards one party and a leader who does not do this is not even present to express himself defend.” Paul St-Pierre Plamondon responded.
For the PQ boss it is “the aggressiveness that had no place”. Then, when a journalist asked him if such a dispute between separatists would harm the cause, he replied that he “didn’t see how that could help.”
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