Shawinigate was a 1990s Canadian political scandal in which Prime Minister Jean Chrétien was accused of profiting from real estate deals and government policies in his hometown of Shawinigan, Quebec .
12-406: In 1988, prior to becoming prime minister, Chrétien and two business partners had purchased the $ 625,000 Grand-Mère Golf Course and Auberge Grand-Mère Hotel . In 1993, six months before he became prime minister, Chrétien and his partners agreed to sell the hotel to Yvon Duhaime , a personal friend of Chrétien. A month after becoming prime minister, Chrétien agreed to sell his personal shares in
24-516: A personal interest by meeting with the bank president in an effort to secure the $ 615,000 loan. While Chrétien faced harsh criticism from all opposition parties, Stockwell Day , then-leader of the Canadian Alliance , denounced him calling him a "criminal", while Joe Clark continued an investigation accusing Chrétien of abusing power, and demanded that he resign as prime minister until a public inquiry could be held. In September 2003,
36-559: A personal interest in the transaction, and both phoned and met with the bank's director, but to no avail – Duhaime's application was declined. In early 1997, Chrétien began asking the bank if it would be possible to extend a smaller loan to expand the hotel. The bank agreed to loan Duhaime $ 615,000 and the Federal Human Resources Department awarded Duhaime an additional $ 164,000 grant. The scandal came to light slowly, with information only being released by
48-655: Is a settlement and former municipality in central Quebec , Canada on the Saint-Maurice River . As a result of the municipal reorganization in Quebec which took effect at the beginning of 2002, Grand-Mère now forms part of the City of Shawinigan . Population in 2001 was 13,179. Grand-Mère was founded in 1898. Like some of its neighbouring towns, it owes its economic origins to the St-Maurice river on which it
60-525: Is located has been struggling economically for decades, and boasts some of the most inexpensive real estate in Canada. The name of the town comes from a rock formation that resembles an old woman with a hair bun at the base of her head ("grand-mère" is French for grandmother). The formation formerly stood in the rapids of the Saint-Maurice River adjacent to the town. When the hydroelectric dam
72-406: Is located. A major hydroelectric dam that was built on the river in 1916 was one of the oldest and largest Hydro-Québec generating stations. The dam was replaced by a larger dam in 2004. The abundance of relatively inexpensive electricity led to the development of industry, primarily based on the production of paper. Logs which were used for the paper pulp were floated downstream on the St-Maurice to
84-470: The former president of the bank that had initially declined the loan won his wrongful dismissal claim, and it was ruled that he was fired because he had suggested that it was time to collect on the $ 615,000 loan in 1999. In early March 2008, Ontario's top court ordered the National Post , a major Canadian newspaper, to hand over documents in the "Shawinigate" allegations, saying the need to enforce
96-556: The golf course to Toronto tycoon Jonas Prince . However, by January 1996, Chrétien was still the formal owner of the golf course since Prince had never paid for the shares. He reported this fact to the Federal Ethics Counsellor , Howard Wilson. Meanwhile, new hotel owner Yvon Duhaime applied to the Business Development Bank of Canada for a $ 2,000,000 loan to expand the hotel. Chrétien took
108-512: The governing Liberal Party after a series of newspaper reports and after persistent questioning by members of the Opposition in the House of Commons of Canada , and a formal lawsuit. In 1999, Ethics Commissioner Wilson ruled that Chrétien had not violated any ethical boundaries when the hotel was awarded federal grant money although he later admitted that he was unaware Chrétien had taken such
120-632: The law should outweigh the need to protect anonymous sources. In May 2010, the National Post lost its appeal, with the Supreme Court of Canada reinstating the search warrant despite the newspaper's claims of journalist-source privilege under Section Two of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms . Grand-M%C3%A8re, Quebec Grand-Mère ( French: [ɡʁɑ̃ mɛʁ] , Quebec French : [ɡɾɑ̃ maɛ̯ɾ] )
132-420: The paper mill from more northerly areas. The mill, which has changed ownership over the decades, has had a lasting impact on the town, from the creation of its award-winning golf course to the construction of several of the town's historic buildings. The surrounding area consists of forested hills, lakes, and flat plains and farms, with much glacial activity still evident. The Mauricie region in which Grand-Mère
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#1732780826226144-766: Was built, the formation was moved in 1916 and rebuilt. It is now in a small park overlooking the St-Maurice River, at the corner of 4e and 5e Avenues. The area's biggest attraction is La Mauricie National Park . There are five public schools. All of them are affiliated to the Commission scolaire de l'Énergie school board. From 1898 to 2001, Grand-Mère had its own mayor and its own city council. The mayors were: 46°37′0″N 72°42′0″W / 46.61667°N 72.70000°W / 46.61667; -72.70000 ( Grand-Mère, Quebecs ) Mauricie Too Many Requests If you report this error to
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