Elections Québec has opened an investigation into two donations made to the CAQ by a couple of bereaved parents who wanted to meet Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault at a fundraising event organized by Soulanges MNA Marilyne Picard.

In recent weeks, the CAQ's fundraising methods have been the talk of the town, even in the riding of Soulanges. On February 9, we learned that in October 2023, a couple had been asked to pay $200 for a two-minute meeting with Minister Guilbault. The meeting took place during a fundraising event organized by the Soulanges MNA's office. Elected municipal officials also took part in the event.  

"Public information leads us to believe that both contributions were made in exchange for consideration, thereby rendering them non-compliant. The Act stipulates that all non-compliant contributions must be returned to the Chief Electoral Officer for remittance to the Ministère des Finances. By claiming the amounts of non-compliant contributions, we can also claim any public funding associated with the contributions. In this way, the party cannot benefit financially from the situation," explains Julie St-Arnaud-Drolet, spokesperson for Élections Québec, in an e-mail to Néomédia.The couple, Élizabeth Rivera and Antoine Bittar, have since been reimbursed as mentioned on Marilyne Picard's social networks.However, the Election Act does not allow a party, or anyone else, to reimburse a contribution, as stipulated in section 90.

"In the context where the party returns the two contributions to the Chief Electoral Officer, as provided for in section 100, we will consider the Coalition Avenir Québec's approach as compensation to the two citizens, and not as a refund of their contributions. This would be a party expense, and would have to be reported in the party's annual financial report. However, this compensation is only possible if the party returns the two contributions to us," adds Ms. St-Arnaud-Drolet.

If the DGEQ investigation shows beyond doubt that the contribution enabled the Rivera-Bittar couple to gain access to the Minister, penal sanctions will be imposed. 

"The Election Act provides for a fine of $5,000 to $20,000 for any person who, by threat or coercion or by a promise of compensation, consideration or reimbursement, induces an elector to make a contribution," concludes the Elections Québec spokeswoman.

The Chief Electoral Officer is responsible for verifying the compliance of political contributions received by provincial political parties and, where applicable, investigating their legality. 

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