Tu Quoque

Strong World reports that some of the Adscam kickback money wound up in the Parti Quebecois' pockets, according to former Groupaction executive Alain Renaud:

But another former Groupaction executive, Alain Renaud, said that while the firm was getting millions of dollars in federal sponsorship money, it was secretly cutting cheques to the separatist Parti Quebecois.

Renaud said that in one transaction, a total of about $90,000 was given to the PQ as part of Groupaction's getting a $4.5-million advertising contract for the Quebec liquor board, called the SAQ.

Groupaction apparently won the contract in a competition when a bagman for the Parti Quebecois had a meeting with the firm's top executives.

One of those executives told Sun Media: "The bagman came by and said: 'Well, you won the bid, and all that's needed now is a signature, and the documents are on the minister's desk to be signed, and it's going to cost you fifty grand.' "

Renaud recalled about $45,000 a year in donations were to be paid to the PQ for two years.

Very interesting to see this bit of information come out just as the Bloc is considering bringing the government down over Jean Brault's testimony.

Given the close relationship between the BQ and PQ, might this not be a veiled threat to the Bloc: vote us down and all your dirt, and the PQ's, comes out during the campaign!

This sounds like a real desperation ploy, if anything. The Liberals are dead in the water in Quebec. But perhaps they can throw mud at the PQ in hopes that enough will spatter over the Bloc to make voters think, "They're both crooks! Let's stay at home and not vote!"

Maybe they think they can save at least their current seat totals this way.

Your thoughts?