Quebecor letter asks Liberals to leave it out of political debates
Liberal house leader Jean-Marc Fournier says letter illustrates Péladeau's conflict of interest
Parti Québécois leader and former Quebecor CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau said he didn't know about a letter sent from Québecor to the Liberal government, asking them to keep the media empire out of political debates.
The letter was sent by Quebecor president and CEO Pierre Dion.
It asks the Liberal house leader Jean-Marc Fournier to leave Quebecor out of partisan debates at the National Assembly, after the Liberals pointed out last week that Quebecor-owned Videotron had higher interest rates than Hydro-Québec.
At a hastily-called news conference yesterday, Fournier distributed copies of the letter to reporters.
"This letter is an illustration about the fact that there is no separation at all between Péladeau and Quebecor," Fournier said.
Péleadeau, who gave up his management role at Quebecor, remains a controlling shareholder.
He responded to Fournier's allegations, saying he isn't surprised by the latest attack from the Liberals.
"I invite them to think about it because there could be politically harmful consequences for this kind of perspective," he said.