Quebec Deputy premier and Transport Minister Genevieve Guilbault speaks in Quebec City, on Jan. 30, 2023.Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press
A couple who lost their daughter in a car accident told a Quebec legislative committee on Thursday that when they requested to meet the province’s Transportation Minister last year, they were told to pay $100 each to attend a party fundraiser.
Élizabeth Rivera and Antoine Bittar, who are leaders of Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada, testified during the study of a road safety reform bill Thursday in Quebec City. They were asking for the addition of administrative sanctions for drivers with a blood alcohol level between 0.05 and 0.08 in the bill.
During a question period after their testimony, Ms. Rivera said that when the couple asked their local MNA, Marilyne Picard, if it was possible to meet with Transportation Minister Geneviève Guilbault, they were told to pay to attend a fundraising event in a restaurant.
Someone from the MNA’s office “told us: ‘You buy the tickets, and you meet the minister, you have two minutes each with the minister,’” Ms. Rivera said.
They paid to attend the event, she said.
“Honestly, when I left the place, I was really disappointed, and I thought it was unacceptable that we were asked to pay $200 to meet the minister,” Ms. Rivera said.
At a news conference later in the day, Ms. Guilbault said that “under no circumstances does a citizen of Quebec need to pay to speak to me” and repeatedly said she and Ms. Picard were upright people.
The Transportation Minister said she met the couple during a cocktail party on Oct. 12, 2023, but was not aware they would be there beforehand. “If after the meeting with Marilyne, they had sent me a request to meet them, well we would have considered it, but they didn’t send one,” Ms. Guilbault said.
In a Facebook post Thursday night, Ms. Picard said she met the couple in June, 2023, and that “a few months later, one of my colleagues informed them of a fundraising activity in which my colleague, the Minister of Transport, was participating.”
“It was an error in judgment, and I sincerely apologize for it, on behalf of myself and my team,” she wrote.
Élections Québec’s website shows that Mr. Bittar and Ms. Rivera both gave $100 to the governing Coalition Avenir Québec in 2023, the maximum contribution allowed per individual per year in the province.
Over the past few weeks, there have been allegations of ethical misconduct relating to political contributions against the ruling CAQ.
Quebec Premier François Legault’s party has been embroiled in controversy with revelations from Radio-Canada and The Canadian Press that members asked for donations to mayors and others in exchange for privileged access to ministers during fundraising cocktails.
Opposition parties denounced what they saw as evidence of a pay-to-play system and the National Assembly’s ethics commissioner opened investigations on two CAQ MNAs, Sylvain Lévesque and Louis-Charles Thouin, in January.
In reaction to the uproar, Mr. Legault announced last week that the CAQ would stop accepting contributions from the public. He invited other parties to do the same.