I enjoy how the Chief doesn't know what Occam's Razor is. "The simplest explanation is usually the right one"
The CPTAQ is a French-speaking administrative board in the province of Quebec that liaises with municipalities and people from within Quebec.
The CPTAQ has no doubt been pestered by Marc LeGris, who is now a public official in one of those Quebec municipalities it deals with. Mr. LeGris also speaks French
Dennis the Chief - a non-Quebec resident and non-French speaker - calls up the CPTAQ and asks for information. The (likely very indifferent) person on the other end of the line tells him a line so he will stop calling, and says "the information can only be shared with the applicant (Bruce Duncan).
This is their polite run-around, because the last thing they want is some nobody from Alberta calling them for updates because his get-rich-quick scheme depends on it.
After a major update happens, Marc LeGris seems to get information from the CPTAQ, likely because he can communicate with them better, and also because he's a municipal official. The CPTAQ shares the information with him because, like certain CCB investors, they want him to stop calling.
Meanwhile, Bruce Duncan of CCB has not released any information as he notoriously only releases news when it is good (even if it isn't true).
Conclusion? The CPTAQ really doesn't care to deal with the Canada Carbon file anymore and is sick of being pestered by every Tom, Dick, and Harry. Accordingly, they tell Marc LeGris (French speaking Quebec resident and representative of a major municipal stakeholder) information to get him off their back. They likely tell Bruce Duncan the same info (as they are required to do), but Bruce does not share such information because it is not good news for him.
They do not tell the same level of information to people like the Chief (English speaking Alberta resident and a personal, minor stakeholder), and probably have told him fibs in the past to get him to stop calling
The Chief's assessment? Legris has a man on the inside because he's getting information that nobody else has. On what basis? "If Bruce had been told first, he would have told us! Plus the person I personally talked to at the CPTAQ told me a bunch of stuff to get me off their back, and I am inclined to believe they weren't lying to me - an English speaking outsider who's only interested in getting fat off the land"
The reality: French speaking Quebecers and the Quebec government are more likely to be forthcoming to those they can communicate with in French, as well as those who are from Quebec and/or represent a Quebec stakeholder. This is especially true for the CPTAQ, who isn't interested in being in the business of assuaging the concerns of every Tom, Dick, and Harry from the general public - especially those from the ROC like the Chief.
There's no conspiracy here. It's just the reality of doing business in Quebec. The CPTAQ was under no obligation to be honest or forthcoming with the Chief, so whatever flawed or incomplete information he got is likely as a result of who he is and how he conduct himself. Bruce Duncan probably found out at the same time as Legris, but being reticent to be honest with his investors, sat on the news.
Of course, "there's a mole!!! Legris has the inside scoop that I was told only Bruce Duncan would have and the only explanation is political corruption" is far more exciting, even if totally fictional. |
