2023-10-27 22:11:09
The lobbying commissioner took up his pen on Friday to invite the six former prime ministers to be more transparent about the interests they defend as part of their public outing this week.
• Read also: Letter from the six ex-prime ministers: Quebec does not flinch in the face of pressure from ex-PMs
• Read also: Christian Dubé modifies his reform of the health network under pressure from former prime ministers
Me Jean-François Routhier published a press release at the end of the day to invite the former prime ministers to set an example, even if the law on lobbying does not expressly apply to their case since their efforts were made on a voluntary basis. .
“They are not simple citizens, in my mind, especially when there are six of them to convey a message,” explains the commissioner in an interview with our Parliamentary Office.
He therefore invites them to register in the Register of Lobbyists.
“Because that’s what the state decided was the minimum content to be disclosed to citizens. So why not voluntarily subject yourself to the same requirements as a lobbyist?” he asks.
The Quebec lobbying commissioner, Jean-François Routhier.
Francis Halin’s photo
A registered lobbyist, he explains, should have revealed “the identity of the client or beneficiaries of the intervention, the people linked to them, the companies or organizations linked to them as well as the true objectives of the communication “.
Pressure on Quebec
Mardi, The Journal published an open letter signed by Pierre Marc Johnson, Daniel Johnson, Lucien Bouchard, Jean Charest, Pauline Marois and Philippe Couillard. They invited Prime Minister François Legault to step back on the reform of the health system, in particular in order to preserve the independence of research centers and foundations, which depend largely on donations from major patrons.
Our Parliamentary Office then revealed that the initiative came from the Montreal Heart Institute, an organization with financial ties to the Desmarais family. The Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, also declared having met Lucien Bouchard and having spoken with other former prime ministers on this subject in recent months.
Mr. Bouchard also made interventions in the media on Wednesday.
Loopholes in the law
The commissioner makes no secret of the fact that there are several loopholes in the law on lobbying.
In addition to acting on a voluntary basis, a person may be exempt if lobbying activity does not constitute a “significant part” of their duties. Ditto if the communication is initiated by the minister, rather than the reverse.
“We have to ask ourselves: should we have this type of exemptions in our law? Our law should probably be updated – I have ardently wished for it for several years – to eliminate this type of exemption because I do not see the basis for it, personally,” confides M.e Routhier.
He gives the example of the exemption for communications made on a voluntary basis.
When carrying out verifications, the commissioner must demonstrate “beyond a reasonable doubt” that the person was paid.
“This is proof that is excessively difficult” to make, he said.
Extract from the press release published by the Quebec lobbying commissioner:
“With respect, precisely because their opinion has a very important influence on that of citizens, our elected officials and leaders should make it their duty to support and promote the full transparency of communications of influence, by deploying all the efforts required to put it implemented. The public has the right to expect its elected officials and leaders, past, present and future, to lead by example.”
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