The lobbying commissioner took up the pen on Friday and called on the six former prime ministers to be more transparent about the interests they represent during their public appearances this week.
• Also read: Letter from six former prime ministers: Quebec does not shy away from pressure from former prime ministers
• Also read: Under pressure from former prime ministers, Christian Dubé is changing his health network reform
Me Jean-François Routhier issued a press release at the end of the day in which he called on the former prime ministers to set an example, even if the lobbying law does not explicitly apply to their case, since their steps were on a voluntary basis.
“For me, these are not ordinary citizens, especially when there are six of them to deliver a message,” explains the representative in an interview with our parliamentary office.
He therefore invites you To in the lobbyist register.
“Because the state has decided that this is the minimum content that must be disclosed to citizens. So why not voluntarily make the same demands as a lobbyist?” he asks.
Quebec lobbying officer Jean-François Routhier. Photo Francis Halin
A registered lobbyist, he explains, would have had to disclose “the identity of the client or beneficiaries of the intervention, the persons associated with them, the companies or organizations associated with them, as well as the true objectives of the communication.”
Pressure on Quebec
On Tuesday, Le Journal published an open letter signed by Pierre Marc Johnson, Daniel Johnson, Lucien Bouchard, Jean Charest, Pauline Marois and Philippe Couillard. They called on Prime Minister François Legault to backtrack on reforming the health system, particularly to preserve the independence of research centers and foundations that rely largely on donations from major patrons.
Our parliamentary office then announced that the initiative came from the Montreal Heart Institute, an organization with financial ties to the Desmarais family. Health Minister Christian Dubé also said he had met Lucien Bouchard in recent months and spoken to other former prime ministers on the subject.
Mr. Bouchard also intervened in the media on Wednesday.
Gaps in the law
The Commissioner makes no secret of the fact that the lobbying law has several loopholes.
In addition to volunteering, a person may be exempt from the duty if lobbying does not constitute a “substantial part” of their duties. The same applies if the communication is initiated by the minister and not the other way around.
“We have to ask ourselves: Should we have such exceptions in our law? Our law should probably be updated – something I have longed for for several years – to eliminate these types of exceptions, because I personally see no basis for it,” confides Me Routhier.
As an example, he cites the exemption for communications that are made on a voluntary basis.
When conducting checks, the agent must prove “beyond a reasonable doubt” that the person has been paid.
“This is evidence that is extraordinarily difficult to provide,” he said.
Excerpt from the press release from the Quebec lobby commissioner:
“Respectfully, precisely because their opinions have a very important influence on the opinions of citizens, our elected officials and leaders should make it their duty to support and promote them.” full transparency [NDLR: en gras dans le texte] an influential communication and makes all necessary efforts to implement it. The public has the right to expect its elected officials and leaders, past, present and future, to lead by example.”
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