QUEBEC – BCIA Inc. the private security firm that brought down Tony Tomassi, forcing his resignation, is causing problems now for Public Security Minister Jacques Dupuis.
Tomassi was fired as Quebec’s family minister and expelled from the Liberal caucus when it came to light he bought gas with a Petro-Canada credit card paid by BCIA.
Now Dupuis is trying to explain away a meeting he had with BCIA owner Luigi Coretti after the Sûreté du Québec at first refused him a permit to carry a handgun in 2008.
Coretti was granted a one-month renewable permit in July 2008, after he reapplied, claiming he needed a gun because he was working on his companies armoured cars, carrying cash and valuables, Dupuis said Tuesday.
Bertrand St-Arnaud, the Parti Québécois public security critic, said it was “inappropriate” for Dupuis to meet Coretti, a friend of Tomassi and a major donor to the Quebec Liberal Party, who won government contracts.
After a meeting with Dupuis, then with the minister’s chief of staff Jocelyn Turcotte, and a phone call from Turcotte to the provincial police force, Coretti did get his handgun permit.
Defending himself Tuesday, Dupuis insisted that he had not intervened with the SQ on Coretti’s behalf and had not exerted pressure of the police to reverse its position.
“There was no pressure. No inappropriate intervention.” the minister told reporters. “No influence exercised on the Sûreté du Québec so that the Sûreté du Québec changed its decision.
“The proof is that for the months of May and June Mr. Coretti’s permit was refused again,” Dupuis said, suggesting if police felt under pressure, that did not change their refusal.
Coretti only got the handgun permit after telling the SQ he had problems recruiting staff and would have to work on the armoured cars himself, Dupuis said.
Dupuis said in his five years as public security minister, he has never got involved in SQ decisions.
“If I intervened with the Sûreté du Québec’s decisions, you would know because they would not accept that,” Dupuis said, insisting he is an honest man.
Dupuis said that as minister public security, one of his responsibilities is private security firms, such as BCIA.
He insisted that he did not know Coretti had government contracts and did not know why Coretti wanted to meet with him. He met him because he considers private security companies his “clients.”
“It is normal that I see these people,” the minister said.
“I’m in politics,” Dupuis said.”He says he was mistreated or badly treated, by the Sûreté du Québec. It is normal that we listen to what he has to say and that we make a verification.”
Dupuis said Coretti also met with Turcotte, his chief of staff, who subsequently called the SQ.
“There was no pressure that was involved.”
Asked whether he met Coretti because he was Liberal donor, Dupuis replied, “Not at all.
“People give to a political party for all sorts of reasons,” he said. “It is up to the elected official to behave according to the law, the regulations and correctly toward those contributors.”
St-Arnaud of the PQ said he detects a pattern.
“In last months we have seen donors to the Quebec Liberal Party who have influence over government decisions,” St-Arnaud said, rhyming off decisions to invest in Montreal-area companies, such as BCIA by the FIER regional investment funds, the granting of subsidized daycare places, construction contracts awarded without tender and allegations Liberal supporters were named judges
“The common denominator is the treasury of the Quebec Liberal Party,” he said.
“Ask the people who gave $3,000, $3,000, $3,000,” he said, referring to annual maximum contribution to Quebec parties. “The husband, the wife, the son. Ask them why they are giving.”
St-Arnaud noted that Coretti gave about $8,000 to the Liberals in recent years.
“He was a friend of Mr. Tomassi and he was in the office of the minister.”
kdougherty@thegazette.canwest.com
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