Ties between Quebecor boss and Parti Quebecois: opposition wants clarity

QUEBEC – There are some concerns being expressed today about media baron Pierre Karl Peladeau’s role in Quebec politics, notably his close ties to the pro-independence Parti Quebecois government.

The province’s opposition leader says he wants to know more about the political involvement of the chairman of Quebecor (TSX:QBR.B), the dominant private multimedia company in the province and which owns the Sun TV and newspaper chain in English Canada.

Peladeau has been sitting in on cabinet meetings on green-transport projects in his other role — as chairman of Hydro-Quebec, to which he was appointed by Pauline Marois.

His tabloid newspaper, the Journal de Montreal, provided positive coverage in exclusive reports about the project two weeks ago.

More recently, the newspaper has offered prime real estate to a project spearheaded by Peladeau’s wife, Julie Snyder, who was among several prominent feminists to organize a grassroots campaign in support of the PQ’s controversial values charter.

Now a column today in a competing newspaper reports that Snyder’s entertainment-production office is in the suite right next to the PQ headquarters in an office building on Montreal’s Papineau Street.

The piece in Montreal La Presse concludes with a quip that perhaps the sovereigntist party should be renamed “Parti Quebecor.”

When asked today about Peladeau’s involvement, Liberal Leader Philippe Couillard demanded greater clarity on his roles in order to avoid conflicts of interest.

“I want a complete separation from the media universe and the work with the government on important aspects of public policy,” Couillard told reporters.

“I served in government for just over five years. I never saw anyone beside elected people, ministers, or high-ranking civil servants, participate,” said the former health minister.

“I am surprised by this.”

It was under a PQ government that Quebecor beat out Rogers to purchase the lucrative Videotron cable network, thanks to a $3.2 billion investment from the provincial pension-fund manager.