“I never thought that what I did was wrong,” said real estate agent Mathieu Arseneault, star of the show Numéros 1 à CASA, on the second day of hearings of the Self-Regulatory Organization for Real Estate Agents of Quebec (OACIQ). During his testimony, Mathieu Arseneault cried several times and recounted all the good deeds he had done to help the community over the past 14 years.
Posted at 6:29 p.m.
“It destroys me on one side of the coin,” Mathieu Arseneault explained tearfully during questioning of OACIQ lawyer Me Isabelle Martel. He referred to the negative comments and ridicule he had received in the media without having had the opportunity to present his version.
“What we are currently seeing is that Mathieu Arseneault is giving money to children to get subscribers. That's largely what it shows, he explained.
Except Mathieu Arseneault isn't. Mathieu Arseneault has been doing this for 14 years. Mathieu Arseneault donates to around 20 different associations. Mathieu Arseneault has been honorary president several times. That's what people don't know.
Mathieu Arseneault, real estate agent
He was already involved before he was active on social networks, in particular every week for six years at the Gala Méritas and at Leucan. “And 90% of them don’t show up anywhere,” he said.
Mathieu Arseneault repeated several times throughout the day that he wanted to inspire and not have as many subscribers as possible. He gave an example of what inspired him.
“One thing that has also inspired me in the past is the Montreal Canadiens club. Every year the players go to the Sainte-Justine hospital to give the children something, well, it's filmed, it's the Canadian logo. »
No warning from RE/MAX
His former agency RE/MAX and his colleagues never told him that his videos were harmful to his profession. On the contrary, they only said positive things, he said, later confirming that the OACIQ had not warned him either. He didn't know that the video of him buying 100 hamburgers for the homeless was a problem until the day he was called to the OACIQ.
That video also inspired realtors in Montreal who handed out coffee and donuts to the homeless, he said.
The OACIQ lawyer asked him if he had seen the parody by comedian Julien Lacroix.
“There's one thing, Mr. President: when a video goes viral, 3 million video views is pretty rare in Quebec. Then Julien Lacroix, look at his account, he is still a comedian, still very present on social networks, many subscribers. “If he repeats a video that's already viral, it's almost certain that if he does anything with that video, he'll have a sure shot,” the broker explained, then clarified that the comedian was freely ridiculing him.
In the afternoon, Mathieu Arseneault answered the questions of his lawyer Me Martin Courville, still with a tight throat and tears in his eyes, justifying his emotional state by the bad press he was experiencing and the fear of losing his license.
The agent recounted an experience when he came to the aid of a sick child without making a show. It was in 2017 after the mother called for help on TVA. Mathieu Arseneault hadn't seen it, but people had contacted him directly to provide support, he explained. The agent worked on the project for several weeks so that the child could attend a Montreal Canadiens hockey game. He states that he still had contact with the child in 2023.
When his lawyer asked why some of his relief efforts were being filmed, he replied: “Just inspiring.” »
Mathieu Arseneault has also cited several proofs that he inspires others. He has read numerous messages he has received from people from all walks of life asking him for advice and congratulating him on his excellence, the positive energy he radiates, his generosity and his humility. “You are a role model,” he read. “I watch you go and that gives me the courage to keep going,” he quoted.
He clarified that “a lot of projects” were not published on social networks and that his The helicopter was used several times, particularly to help search for missing people.
At the end of the day, Mathieu Arseneault admitted that he had only read the rules on social media last weekend.
“These are the facts”
In the morning, OACIQ union member Brigitte Poirier was asked to present her overall picture of the situation by laying out the facts.
“He uses this social problem to practically turn it into entertainment, it is staged, with sad music, and there is a moving side, and these are the facts that we have observed,” she explained. The consequence of this is that it has now disappeared from social media. »
According to the OACIQ investigation, Mathieu Arseneault committed acts that “undermine the honor and dignity of the profession,” he said. The committee must decide whether his license should be urgently suspended until his guilt hearing in 2024.
The arguments of the OACIQ lawyer Me Isabelle Martel and the lawyer of the broker Me Martin Courville will take place on Friday in Brossard. After the decision on the application for interim suspension, a date for the disciplinary hearings will be set.