Marois fundraiser says engineering firm contributed to her 2008 campaign

An organizer for Pauline Marois' election effort in her Charlevoix riding told the provincial corruption inquiry Monday thathe solicited funds in 2008 from an engineering firm to top up her campaign war chest.

Ernest Murray saidMarois, who was elected premier in 2012, didn't know he approached someone at the Roche firm until after the fact.

"I was not authorized to do this,- Ernest Murray, organizer for Pauline Marois' 2008 campaign

Marois, whose minority government was defeated in this year's provincial election, was Opposition leader at the time.

Murray told the inquiry headed by Justice France Charbonneau heapproached the firm just before the 2008 provincial election when hefound he was having difficulty hitting his fundraising target inMarois's Charlevoix riding.

He knew an engineer at Roche and asked for $10,000.

After a while, the engineer indicated he was ready to donate themoney but wanted names to put on the cheques.

Murray suggested the names of three people he trusted. In the endthey weren't contacted by Roche.

Instead, the firm supplied most of the $10,000 in cheques signedby other people.

Murray says he later told Marois about his effort.

"Financing was my responsibility," he told the commission. "Iwas responsible. I put her in a bit of trouble for doing this. I can't say it was my finest hour but there it is."

Murray said he told her how he solicited the Roche engineer for$10,000 but he couldn't remember if he mentioned the three names he had provided to the firm.

"We're proud, we want to reach (the financing targets) and we dothings," he said. "Madame Marois woke up with this in her hands.The deed was already done."

In a series of emails dated March 2009 that were produced at thecommission, the Roche engineer made a link between the politicalcontributions and two contracts the firm was seeking to obtain inthe region northeast of Quebec City.

One concerned a museum and the other a junior college. Theengineer wrote that Roche would like "at least one of the two."

The Parti Qubcois was not in power at that time and had no control over theawarding of contracts.

Murray referred the engineer to the local people responsible forthe contracts.

He also stressed that firms were always treated equally, withlittle regard to political contributions.

Murray said the information he gave Roche had already been madepublic by the government.

He also pointed out that even when in power, the PQ received lessmoney than the Liberals from engineering firms.

Under cross-examination by PQ lawyer Estelle Tremblay, Murraysaid the party did not know what he was doing and would not haveapproved had it been aware.

"I was not authorized to do this," by either Marois or theparty, he said.

In Quebec City, interim PQ leader Stphane Bdard expresseddisappointment at the allegations and said he has asked the party todo whatever to find out the names of the donors in question.

"If there is money that needs to be reimbursed, we will do so."