A Quebec company is asking a judge to ban any further media reports about a possible out-of-court settlement with Ottawa regarding a sponsorship-related civil suit.
Lawyer Louis Belanger, who represents Groupe Polygone, filed a motion in court after La Presse reported April 1 that negotiations between the company and the federal government were back on.
Belanger wants Quebec Superior Court Justice Jean-Francois de Grandpre to prohibit future stories until either a settlement is reached or the case goes to trial.
The lawyer argued in court Tuesday that contents of the negotiations should remain private.
Reporter Joel-Denis Bellavance’s story was the second such “leak” after The Globe and Mail published a story last October about the same negotiations between the Montreal-based promoter and the federal government.
Lawyers for Groupe Polygone and its owner Luc Lemay have engaged in talks with Ottawa aimed at reaching an out-of-court settlement in a $35-million civil suit.
The government is suing Polygone as part of its lawsuits against the main players in the sponsorship scandal in which some defendants have already settled.
Both La Presse and the Globe cited an unnamed government source.
“Our goal here is not [to] condemn the media or to stop journalists from doing their job,” Belanger told de Grandpre. “Our goal is to assure that the media does so, not only by respecting its own rights under the freedom of press, but also respecting people’s right to private life.
“The liberty of the press ends where the right to private life begins.”
De Grandpre, who will rule this Friday, already ordered Globe and Mail journalist Daniel Leblanc to stop reporting about the same negotiations.
The Globe intends to take that case to the Supreme Court after the Quebec Court of Appeal upheld de Grandpre’s ruling.
Federal and Polygone lawyers alike have argued that media leaks have hindered negotiations.
The most recent La Presse article offered no new information other than to say that “discreet” negotiations had begun. But Belanger argued that alone was enough to immediately suspend talks.
“If parties choose to treat some information in a confidential manner, it’s within the realm of private life, which applies to corporations as much as individuals,” Belanger said.
“It’s a fundamental right and we take the position that if the information is illegally transmitted to a third party, it’s not a licence to publish that information.”
La Presse’s lawyer, Christian Leblanc, argued it’s up to the lawyers for both sides to ensure that information isn’t leaked. But he was also adamant that the suit involves public funds and that people have a right to know what’s going on.
“In my opinion, if information is given to the media on a public interest matter, it needs to be broadcast and published,” Leblanc said.
