Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's involvement with the BDC's $615,000 loan:
Part 1: Chretien's interest for his friends? For his golf course? For creating jobs?

Nipawin - December 7, 2000 - by: Mario deSantis
   

Beaudoin
filed a
lawsuit

Mr. Chrétien called three times Mr. François Beaudoin, president of the Business development
Bank of Canada (BDC), he mobilized his assistants to attend after Mr. Duhaime's needs and
as a consequence the BDC bank approved a loan for $650,000(1). Mr. Chrétien kept the secret
of his phone calls to Mr. Beaudoin till November 2000, when Mr. Beaudoin filed a lawsuit for
wrongful dismissal against the BDC bank.

 

 

crown corporation

In his statement of claims filed November 3, 2000, Mr. Beaudoin states that he was
constructively dismissed and that this occurred when he repetitively suggested to foreclose
Mr. Duhaime's loan on account of missed payments. This is a very important political
interference in the running of a crown corporation, and it affects the integral administration
of our institutions.

 

 

malicious wrongs

The importance of this lawsuit goes beyond the private interest, and I just hope that Mr.
Beaudoin will proceed going to court and have a judicial decision which proves the
persistent malicious wrongs of Chrétien's government.

 

 

Chrétien's behaviour

Anyhow, Mr. Duhaime got his loan and proceeded with the expansion project for his hotel.
As we follow some events characterizing Mr. Chretien's involvement in the Grand Mere's
affair, let us keep asking the question: Was Chrétien interested in the welfare of his loyal
friends? Or maybe he was interested in the greener amenities of his golf course? Or maybe
he was interested in creating jobs for his electoral riding? Your common sense will provide
an answer, and as you repeat this question and as you share your answers, the closer you
will get to the truth characterizing Mr. Chrétien's behaviour. The events outlined below have
retained, as much as possible, the same English construct as per the original references.

 

 

Chrétien's
golf course

The Grand-Mère Inn's expansion, and the financing partners
One source has stated that Chrétien was very interested in the financing of the
Grand-Mère Inn's expansion. In particular, this expansion had an immediate
financial reflection on the value of Mr. Chrétien's golf course which was adjacent
to the hotel.

 

 

scaled
down

In the first phone call of April 12, 1996 to François Beaudoin, then president of
the federally owned Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), Mr.
Chrétien mentions a $2-million loan for the expansion of the hotel. However, in
his first loan application to the BDC, Mr. Duhaime submitted a $3.5-million
expansion project; later the expansion project was scaled down to $1.5-million,
and eventually in early 1996 he got a $650,000 loan from BDC.

 

 

Other
financing agencies

Other financing agencies for the Grand-Mère Inn's expansion project, known to
both Mr. Duhaime and Mr. Chrétien were: the Quebec Federation of Labour
Solidarity Fund, the local caisse populaire and the Groupe Forces, an economic
development agency.

 

 

fifth
partner

It is interesting to notice that in November 2000, while Mr. Duhaime confirmed
that there was a fifth financing partner, Mr. Chrétien had denied the participation
of a fifth financing partner. Mr. Duhaime has not disclosed yet the name of the
fifth partner and Mr. Chrétien has not confirmed the participation of the fifth
financing partner.
   
  In the next related articles we will cover a web of relationships connected with the Grand-Mère's
business and political environment.
   
-----------References/endnotes:
   
  List of relevant political and economics articles http://www.ftlcomm.com/ensign
   
  The author can provide specific references of the cited events in the Grand-Mère affair. He also acknowledges the following news organizations: National Post, Canadian Internet Network, The Ottawa Citizen, The Globe and Mail, Canadian Press. The author read articles written by Robert Fife, Andrew McIntosh, Joël-Denis Bellavance, Peter Shawn Taylor, Andrew Coyne, Gordon Gibson, and Diane Francis of the National Post; Paul Adams and Daniel LeBlanc of The Globe and Mail; Lawrence Martin and Kate Jaimet of The Ottawa Citizen.
   

1.
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Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's involvement with the BDC's $615,000 loan: The granting of the BDC's loan to Yvon Duhaime, by Mario deSantis, December 5, 2000