Charest should release donor list: Marois

Parti Qubcois Leader Pauline Marois ischallenging Premier Jean Charest to release the list of donors who contributed to his leadership campaigns in 1993 and 1998.

Defending herself against suggestions she used her children's names to funnel money to her campaign for the party's leadership in 2005, Marois accused Charest of having accepted money from German arms-industry lobbyist Karlheinz Schreiber.

On Thursday, the La Presse newspaper revealed that Marois's four children had made substantial donations to her campaign despite the fact that they were students at the time with limited incomes.

Three of her children, Flix, Franois-Christophe, and Jean-Sbastien, each contributed $3,000 the maximum allowable donation, while her daughter Catherine gave $2,600, the paper said.

In all, 17 members of Marois's extended family contributed a total of $55,575, according to the paper.

During question period at the national assembly, Charest accused the PQ leader of hypocrisy on questions of ethics.

Charest said Marois has no lessons to give on questions of morality.

"The leader of the Official Opposition is laughing at Quebecers," he said.

'You can be sure of one thing: neither my mother, nor my children will get any paving contracts or daycare permits,' PQ Leader Pauline Marois

"She does exactly the opposite of everything she says."

Marois fought back, demanding the premier release the names of those who contributed to his campaign for the leadership of the Federal Progressive Conservative Party in 1993 and the Quebec Liberal Party in 1998.

She said that she prefers having the financial support of her family members to that of Schreiber, who gave envelopes of cash to former Tory prime minister Brian Mulroney.

"I prefer to be financed by my family than by Karlheinz Schreiber, who is in prison," she said.

"Could the premier tell us whether it is $10,000 or $30,000 that his brother negotiated with that arms dealer?"

Schreiber is currently serving an eight-year sentence after being found guilty of tax evasion in Germany.

"You can be sure of one thing: neither my mother nor my children will get any paving contracts or daycare permits," Marois said.

Family donations legal: Marois

In a statement on Thursday, Marois defended the legitimacy of the donations made by her children, assuring that party financing rules were respected.

A spokesperson for Quebec's chief electoral officer confirmed nothing prevents members of politicians families from making donations to their campaigns as long as the legal limits are respected.

Qubec Solidaire MNA Amir Khadir said he sees nothing wrong with family members contributing to politicians campaigns.

But Action Dmocratique Leader Grard Deltell said the fact Marois's children contributed to her campaign gives the impression that she was reimbursing them in order to skirt the province's party financing laws.

"Very young adults, students I don't know too many who can give $3,000," said Deltell. "That it is children doing this, is disappointing."

Members of the opposition have been calling for an inquiry into allegations of collusion and corruption since media reports suggested a small number of construction firms had joined together, with the help of criminal organizations, to drive up the price of public construction contracts.

Charest was forced to call a separate inquiry into the province's process for naming judges after former Justice Minister Marc Bellemare claimed he was pressured to name Liberal-friendly candidates to the bench. Media reports have also suggested permits for daycare spaces had been allotted in return for donations to the Liberal Party.

Then, earlier this month, Charest was forced to fire his minister for family after Tony Tomassi admitted to having used a credit card belonging to a private security firm for his own purposes.