As if he needed it, the wealthy Guy Laliberté pocketed an additional $ 100 million at the start of the year, money drawn from the famous Quebec “woolen sock” that is the Caisse de dépôt et placement, for his remaining shares in Cirque du Soleil, for whom the pandemic may be what the iceberg was for the Titanic.
For the past few days, people have been coming to see me in the street to tell me about Guy Laliberté and the millions he was entitled to last February just before the coronavirus crisis broke.
The COVID-19 outbreak has resulted in an avalanche of business closures and bankruptcies, divorces and depressions, etc. In the company of powerful characters of the caliber of Mark Zuckerberg (of Facebook) or Jeff Bezos (of Amazon), it seems that Guy Laliberté is part of the very restricted club of the rich “smiles” of 2020.
- Listen to Gilles Proulx’s commentary on QUB Radio:
Worn out, the Circus?
The opposition, which today rightly criticizes our woolen stockings with holes for having swallowed up hundreds of millions in the Circus would have been the first, if they had been in power, to demand that we not abandon this illustrious flagship, a symbol of pride … even if Quebec has finally lost control.
With regard to the “pierced basket” that Cirque du Soleil has become, we should ask ourselves whether the wear and tear of the spectacle is not for something. We are far from certain that it will regain its luster and vitality.
Patronage
Will Guy Laliberté allow himself to be influenced by certain exemplary stars? PK Subban has earned the respect of Quebecers by donating 10 million to a children’s hospital. Judi Richards and Yvon Deschamps have donated a fortune to the organization Le Chaînenon which accommodates women in difficulty.
The man of extravagance and grandiose parties should remember that it was initially the help of René Lévesque at La Malbaie that propelled him into lunar orbit. Sometimes you have to know how to give back.
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