Photo by Tom Page/Flickr

In 2001, Canada Post invested $1 million to acquire a 50 percent ownership stake in Intelcom, then operating as Intelcom Express, a package delivery company. The purchase quickly stirred controversy because of Intelcom’s connections to the Liberal Party of Canada, prompting critics to question whether the Crown corporation’s decision-making had been influenced by political favouritism. In response, Intelcom bought back its shares from Canada Post six years later, in 2007.

At the time, Intelcom was a major Liberal donor. Its founder and CEO, Daniel Hudon, was both a fundraiser and a former member of the finance committee of the Québec wing of the Liberal Party. The president of that wing was none other than Clément Joly, father of Jean-Sébastien and Mélanie Joly, the latter of whom now serves as minister of industry in the Carney government.

André Ouellet, the Canada Post CEO who authorized the Crown corporation’s purchase of Intelcom, was implicated in 2004 by a Deloitte Touche audit report, which was commissioned in the wake of the sponsorship scandal. The report criticized him for “repeatedly intervening in the awarding of contracts totalling $35 million” and for “asking his subordinates to find work for more than 80 people.” It also highlighted his extravagant spending, including $2 million on travel and hospitality over eight years. Facing mounting scrutiny, Ouellet resigned later that year.

Jean-Sébastien Joly, former CFO at Mediagrif, joined Intelcom in 2007 as vice president of finance and operations. In 2017, he bought the company from its founder, Mr. Hudon, with the participation of the Caisse de dépôt et de placement du Québec (CDPQ) and the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC). Those same institutions had previously supported Intelcom’s rapid expansion following its 2015 partnership with........

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