Quebec's ruling Coalition Avenir Québec is in controversy over accusations it has made access to ministers conditional on donations to the party.During a Quebec legislature hearing on Thursday, Antoine Bittar said he had been advocating for tougher drinking and driving legislation when the ruling party Coalition Avenir Québec offered an opportunity for him and his partner, Élizabeth Rivera, to meet Quebec's Transport Minister and Deputy Minister Geneviève Guilbault at an October 2023 fundraising cocktail event.Bittar said he and Rivera each paid $100 to get four minutes with the minister, two minutes per person."We had our two minutes and, honestly, when I left, I was really disappointed," Rivera said. "I found it unacceptable that we were asked to pay $200 to meet the minister."Guilbault later confirmed that she had met the couple at the October fundraising cocktail event, adding that it was an employee of another member of the legislature who had invited them. She said she did not know the couple were asked to pay money to meet her.“No one has to pay to speak to me," Guilbault told reporters. "If there was a clumsiness, if inadvertently there were people uncomfortable because of something that, yes, respected the rules but that perhaps made this woman feel uncomfortable, I'm sorry about that," she said.Of late, opposition parties have alleged that mayors were allegedly pressured to pay $100 to CAQ for access to cabinet ministers. The Canadian Press recently reported that almost half of Quebec's mayors have contributed nearly $100,000 to CAQ since the 2021 municipal election.In response, Quebec Premier François Legault announced last week his party would stop accepting donations and rely exclusively on the public political financing system, which funds parties through provincial tax dollars based on their share of the vote in the previous general election.
Quebec's ruling Coalition Avenir Québec is in controversy over accusations it has made access to ministers conditional on donations to the party.During a Quebec legislature hearing on Thursday, Antoine Bittar said he had been advocating for tougher drinking and driving legislation when the ruling party Coalition Avenir Québec offered an opportunity for him and his partner, Élizabeth Rivera, to meet Quebec's Transport Minister and Deputy Minister Geneviève Guilbault at an October 2023 fundraising cocktail event.Bittar said he and Rivera each paid $100 to get four minutes with the minister, two minutes per person."We had our two minutes and, honestly, when I left, I was really disappointed," Rivera said. "I found it unacceptable that we were asked to pay $200 to meet the minister."Guilbault later confirmed that she had met the couple at the October fundraising cocktail event, adding that it was an employee of another member of the legislature who had invited them. She said she did not know the couple were asked to pay money to meet her.“No one has to pay to speak to me," Guilbault told reporters. "If there was a clumsiness, if inadvertently there were people uncomfortable because of something that, yes, respected the rules but that perhaps made this woman feel uncomfortable, I'm sorry about that," she said.Of late, opposition parties have alleged that mayors were allegedly pressured to pay $100 to CAQ for access to cabinet ministers. The Canadian Press recently reported that almost half of Quebec's mayors have contributed nearly $100,000 to CAQ since the 2021 municipal election.In response, Quebec Premier François Legault announced last week his party would stop accepting donations and rely exclusively on the public political financing system, which funds parties through provincial tax dollars based on their share of the vote in the previous general election.
