Michel Arsenault: Claude Blanchet

Claude Blanchet: Politically I couldnt tell you, because I didnt cut that deal, said Arsenault, according to CTV. In wiretap evidence played Wednesday, Arsenault is heard acknowledging that while the Solidarity Fund paid for half of Tony Accurso's boat, it was a good deal for the union and It was another day of trying to pry straight answers from the former head of the FTQ at the Charbonneau Commission, as he denied approaching the Pauline Maroiss husband in 2009 to convince her to stop calling for an inquiry into corruption. Last week, a wiretap suggested Michel Arsenault had leverage of Marois, who was opposition leader at the time. Arsenault now claims that wasnt the case, struggling to explain that when he said on the wiretap he had a deal with Maroiss husband Claude Blanchet and needed their help to stop the impending Charbonneau Commission, there were simply brainstorming. We thought that putting pressure on Claude Blanchet so he would put pressure on Marois was a good idea, but we decided not to, said Arsenault. Commissioners wanted more information on their deal with Blanchet, however. The deal is that the FTQ Solidarity Fund had a partnership in a public company controlled by Blanchet, said Arsenault, adding that he wasnt sure whether the deal would embarrass Marois or Blanchet. The corruption inquiry also wanted to know why one of the province's largest investment funds, designed to create employment and save retirement money for unionized workers, helped buy a luxurious yacht for a business tycoon. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.