Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Burmese dictatorship - The NPD wants to convene Paul Desmarais's son
Paul Dewar, Ottawa-Center MPVincent Larouche
Le Journal de Montréal
08/10/2007 09h42
Le Journal de Montréal
08/10/2007 09h42
The parties of opposition accentuated the pressure on the companies making deal with the Burmese dictatorship, yesterday, the NDP planning even to convene the businessman Paul Desmarais wire before a committee of the Communes so that it explains there his commercial bonds with Burma.
Whereas the Burmese military junta announced 70 new arrests of democratic militants, the NDP evoked the idea to convene the business leader of Power Corporation before the Standing Committee of the Foreign Affairs of the House of Commons because of the bonds of the businessman with the oil Total Frenchwoman, established in Burma.
“The Committee should examine which kind of investments Power Corporation has in Burma, even if it is through several degrees of separation, affirms the deputy Paul Dewar, critical NPD for the Foreign Affairs. That would be a good idea to hear Mr. Desmarais, to see his comprehension of that”, says Mr. Dewar.
Restricted circle
Heir to the largest fortune of Quebec, Paul Desmarais's son forms part since 2002 of the administrators of Total. By the means of its European holding Pargesa, which it jointly holds with the family, Power Corp holds also 3,9% of the actions of the oil one, which already announced that it would not leave Burma.
Saturday, several groups, of which Amnesties international, pressed the Canadian investors to leave Burma or to denounce repression publicly.
Yesterday, the critic of the Bloc Québécois on the file, Francine Lalonde, insisted on the social responsibility for the investors in this country while specifying that the case of Total concerns the French government.
“What does not want to say that the concept of social responsibility does not apply to Mr. Desmarais”, the MP adds.
As regards Liberal Party, MP Ujjal Dosanjh refused to comment on the case of Power Corporation, but affirms that “when you make deal with a mode which massacres its population, you must question yourselves”.
An attache of the minister Maxime Bernier pointed out that Ottawa presses the business world not to conclude from commercial agreements in Burma. The direction of Power Corp did not point out the Journal yesterday.
# posted by Francis Chartrand @ 12:07 AM 
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]