A few months ago, the government’s announcement to grant $5 to $7 million to the Los Angeles Kings to convince them to come and spend a few days in Quebec next September to train at the Videotron Center and play two matches really did not pass among the population.
With a precarious economic situation in Quebec, this was an expense considered unacceptable by the majority of Quebecers.
To add insult to injury, we learned this week that the Kings have also agreed to play a pre-season match in Salt Lake City next September, with the difference that they will do it entirely free.
Enough to outrage all of Quebec once again.
Today, the leader of the Conservative Party of Quebec, Éric Duhaime, decided to write an open letter to Luc Robitaille, president of the Los Angeles Kings, to try to convince him to give up the 5 to 7 million promised by the government .
“Mr. Robitaille,
On November 14, you were at the Videotron Center with Ministers Éric Girard and Jonathan Julien to announce that the Los Angeles Kings would come to play two exhibition games in Quebec next fall.The two ministers of the Legault government then announced a subsidy of 5 to 7 million in public money to your hockey team, the Los Angeles Kings.
However, yesterday, we learned that these same Kings have just concluded an agreement to present, for several years, exhibition games in Salt Lake City, and this without ANY government assistance, nor from the state of Utah, nor the city.
It was enough to trigger a wave of indignation across Quebec. One in ten Quebecers used a food bank to feed their family over the past year. One in four homeowners are wondering how they will renew their mortgage and fear losing their home due to rising interest rates.
The Quebec government is already telling us that its March 12 budget will be “largely in deficit”, therefore financed on the backs of future generations.
In these circumstances, you understand that the decision to give public money to your club goes down very badly among the population.
The four opposition parties in Quebec unanimously condemn this unnecessary and unjustified expenditure.
Unfortunately, the Legault government persists in its bad decision. In the current context, for the good of Quebec and for the excellent reputation of the organization that you chair, I am asking you today to renounce the financial assistance granted by the Legault government.
Giving up this amount would allow Quebec hockey fans to focus on the game, rather than politics. The Kings form a billionaire organization for which the 5 or 7 million from the Quebec government represent only a tiny part of the revenue. Whereas here in Quebec, this subsidy has become a symbol of mismanagement of public funds, which risks tarnishing your brand image and unnecessarily dragging you into debates with which you have no business being associated.
Hoping that this proposal to end the crisis will resonate with you, please accept, Mr. Robitaille, the expression of my best feelings.”
– Eric Duhaime
Let’s see if this letter will elicit a response or reaction from him.
One thing is certain, this issue has not stopped making people talk!
More details will follow.
2024-02-28 02:20:00
#Éric #Duhaime #open #letter #Luc #Robitaille
