The Gargoyle: Hull-Aylmer Liberal Fergus demands inquiry in Tory hopeful's info leak

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Greg Fergus, Liberal candidate in Hull-Aylmer, has demanded a number of federal authorities investigate the alleged release of confidential information by Tory candidate Etienne Boulrice.

The information — a request for about $14.5 million from the federal government to help finance the proposed Mosaïcultures exhibit Gatineau hopes to land as part of Canada’s 150th birthday celebrations in 2017 — isn’t that shocking in and of itself. While the budget for Mosaïcultures, which is supported by all area candidates, has been officially secret, wide speculation that the pricetag for the artistic horticultural show in the $40-50 million range has not been denied by organizers.

A federal contribution of about one-third the cost would not be out of line with such a budget.

What has Fergus, and some others, upset is that Boulrice admits he came across the figure while working in a previous day job in the office of Heritage Minister Shelley Glover. The release in the middle of an election campaign rubs critics the wrong way.

“The release (of) such highly confidential information during the election campaign must be investigated,” Fergus’s organization wrote to Privy Council Clerk Janice Charette, federal Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien and Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson.

“Canadians must be assured that Conservative party employees aren’t abusing their positions and revealing confidential information.”

Boulrice, a former provincial Coalition avenir Québec candidate who was a very late entrant into this campaign, insists he didn’t realize the figure, released in an interview with Le Droit newspaper, was secret. In fact, he says he spoke about the figure with Gatineau Mayor Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin in a conversation months before the campaign began.

That being said, Boulrice told Le Droit he was strongly considering stepping down as candidate to save further embarrassment for his party and/or himself.

Boulrice has not responded to calls for comment.

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