Quebec Public Security Minister François Bonnardel paid a private communications agency $1,375 to write one of his speeches.
This transaction was revealed Tuesday by Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) MNA Jennifer Maccarone during a study of the budgetary appropriations of the Public Security Ministry, which is an exercise in accountability.
“Mr. Minister, do you have press attachés?” said Maccarone, saying she found it “curious,” that a minister would outsource the writing of a speech to the private sector.
The speech in question, delivered to the National Assembly, focused on Bill 14, which is aimed at modernizing police practice and was adopted on Oct. 3.
“Yes, one,” replied Bonnardel, referring to his attaché Maxime Bélanger.
Maccarone continued by saying she was surprised to learn from the books that the minister had called on Agence Média Presse in Montreal to write a speech.
“Don’t your press attachés write speeches for you?” she asked. “I write my speeches alone, I don’t have a press attaché, (…) but you paid someone to write this speech for you?”
She added that the contract was concluded by mutual agreement, that is without a call for tenders.
“I assume all the press officers were busy?” she said.
Bonnardel argued that the order had not been placed by his office, but by the ministy’s communications branch.
“We have to make a difference,” he said.
“It’s still a significant amount of money, $1,375 for writing a speech,” replied Maccarone. “Maybe you need to hire more press attachés. I don’t know.”
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews