Richard Brouillard, one of the top consultants working for the Cree economic entities, made a financial contribution to the Parti Quebecois in 1992, The Nation has learned.
Brouillard, who lives in Val d’Or, gave $400 to the party’s Abitibi-East riding association, according to public records of political donations. Brouillard is the controller of the Board of Compensation and a consultant to Servinor Food Wholesalers Ltd., a subsidiary of CreeCo.
Brouillard said he made the donation at around the time of the defeat of the Charlottetown and Meech Lake accords, when nationalist sentiment was especially high in Quebec. “Right now. I’m much more lukewarm [toward sovereignty),” he told The Nation.
Asked if he supports Quebec’s independence. Brouillard said,
“When I was a student I used to support sovereignty. Now that I’m in business, it depends on the day. Sometimes I think it is the solution to a lot of problems. Sometimes, I’m not so sure.”
Brouillard added that in the late 1980s, he also donated $200 to the Liberal Party of Quebec by purchasing two seats at a fundraising supper for the local MNA. But unlike the donation to the PQ, which he made due to his own personal convictions. Brouillard said the donation to the Liberals was requested by a Cree entity.
“It was a form of thank-you to the local MNA,” he said. ‘The Crees wanted to be seen as participating in political life. It’s one of those things that out of context looks awful. In context, I think it was okay. It’s one of those niceties that I guess has to be done once in a while.”
