Parti Québécois under fire for partisan appointment; Duthel faces criminal charges

QUEBEC CITY – Another friend of the Parti Québécois is being named to a high post. Starting in May, 63-year-old Jean-Yves Duthel will be working for Investissement Québec out of Munich, Germany.

This most recent appointment has inflamed opposition parties. Duthel, a former communications agent, is a close personal friend of Pauline Marois and her husband Claude Blanchet.

“He’s not qualified,” said CAQ leader François Legault.

“It’s unacceptable to see somebody, who has all his life worked in communications, being asked to get investments from private companies.”

Duthel is also facing criminal charges. He pleaded not guilty to sending illegal donations to Vision Montreal. He’s due to appear in court April 30th.

“They should have waited, clearly, to have the case go through the court and after that decide if the nomination is appropriate or not,” added CAQ MNA Jacques Duchesneau.

In the house, the Industrial Policy Minister quickly came to Duthel’s defense. “He speaks fluent German. He was the best person for the job,” said Elaine Zakaib.

PQ partisan nominations have made the headlines in recent months. Last week, the premier came under fire for naming former PQ Cabinet Minister Sylvain Simard to the Société des alcools (SAQ). The PQ also named André Boisclair, Rita Dionne-Marsolais and Gilles Duceppe to high-paying public-sector jobs.

“It’s not only today or yesterday. These types of nominations are creating concern among citizens,” said Liberal leader Philippe Couillard. “We are discussing questions of open government and how we could proceed with these nominations in a non-partisan way.”

In the meantime, the PQ says it has no intention of backtracking on Duthel’s nomination. The minister responsible for Investissement Québec says the agency followed the usual hiring process to a tee, and neither she or the premier intervened on Duthel’s behalf.