Charest denies trying to arrange meeting between TransCanada and PMO

Former Quebec premier Jean Charest is denying he sought to arrange a meeting between the Prime Minister's Office and representatives of oil giantTransCanada.

• Quebec's Energy East pipeline hearings get off to rocky start
• TransCanada's Energy East pipeline target of Quebec injunction

During a brief exchange with journalists in Quebec City, Charest acknowledged that he did call the PMO recently and that hedid discuss issues related to TransCanada.

But he said he did not seek to organize a meeting between the two.

This, however, contradicts a version of events that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau'sprincipal secretary, Gerald Butts, gave to The Globe and Mail earlier this month.

Butts told the newspaper that during a conversation with Charest, the former premier raised the possibility of arranging a meeting with TransCanada executives. Butts said he turned down the offer.

Charest is not registered as a lobbyist for TransCanada, but he rejected suggestion he violated federal lobbying rules.

"There was no lobbying," saidCharest. "I don't work forTransCanada. End of story."

Charest added that while he has worked as a "strategic consultant" for TransCanada in the past, that contract was over when he placed the call to Butts.

The oil company is seeking federal approvalfor a cross-country pipeline that would carry oil from Alberta, through Quebec,to New Brunswick.

The $15.7-billionproject faces significant opposition in Quebec, where the provincial government recently filed an injunction to force the company to submit an environmental impact study.

This is not the first time the Liberals have sought to distance themselves from beingassociated too closely with TransCanada.

During the election campaign, the Liberal co-chair, Dan Gagnier, was forced to resign after it was revealed he sent a letter to the companyadvising them how to lobby a future Liberal government.

Gagnierserved as Charest'schief of staff while he was premier of Quebec.