Mr. Fortier was not the only senior Quebec conservative uncomfortable with Mr. Soudas’s lobbying. Foreign affairs minister Lawrence Cannon, who at the time headed the transport portfolio, advised port chairman Marc Bruneau to stick to his principles after hearing complaints of political pressure, Mr. Bruneau said in an interview.
“There are two ministers who were really fair: Mr. Cannon and Mr. Fortier. They said, ‘Do what you have to do,’ ” Mr. Bruneau said, adding the message was “to follow the Canada Marine Act and select the best candidate.”
A spokesperson for Mr. Cannon declined to comment.
Despite this support, long-standing members of the board said they continued to feel pressured, and agreed to organize a second set of interviews that included Mr. Abdallah, who had initially failed to make the short list, according to sources. Two board members said some of this pressure was coming from Conservative appointees to the board.
The board has seven members. The city of Montreal, the Quebec government and the federal government each get to appoint one director, while Ottawa has the additional responsibility of naming four members who represent the users of the port.
The board obtained a legal opinion stating that once members are nominated, they have the responsibility to act independently, according to their assessment of the port’s interest, without discussing matters with government officials, court documents show.
The battle for control of the port began in 2006, when Dominic Taddeo announced his plan to retire after more than two decades at the helm.
Soon after, Mr. Soudas met with three port board members at a restaurant in Montreal called Le Muscadin.
“There certainly was interference as they met us on the specific issue of the nomination of the new president. They tried to interfere, for sure,” said Mr. Bruneau, a Conservative fundraiser in the Mulroney and Charest eras.
The arm-twisting continued. After the restaurant meeting, Mr. Bruneau said he was warned by a Conservative ministerial staffer, whom he felt was relaying a message from a superior, that his position was at stake if he refused to jump on the bandwagon.
“I was told directly they’d think twice before renewing my nomination,” said Mr. Bruneau, who only received a one-year extension to his mandate in 2008 instead of a three-year renewal. He is now back on the board, although as the provincial government’s appointee.
