Quebec Liberal Party Leader Pablo Rodriguez has issued a formal notice to the Journal de Montréal in response to an article recently published by the newspaper. The announcement followed a caucus meeting in Montreal on Friday amid a series of challenges facing the party. The article in question contained excerpts of alleged text messages indicating that party members may have received financial incentives for supporting Rodriguez in the previous leadership election.
According to the Journal de Montréal, the text messages were exchanged earlier this year between individuals actively working to promote Rodriguez’s leadership bid. The messages allegedly discuss the sale of membership cards and expenditures to secure votes for Rodriguez. Rodriguez clarified that the purpose of the notice is not to reveal the newspaper’s sources but to identify the individuals involved in the alleged vote-buying scheme.
In addition to seeking the identities of those implicated, Rodriguez emphasized the party’s request for the telephone numbers associated with the text messages and an explanation of the verification process conducted by the newspaper before publishing the content. The Liberal MNA for Chomedey, Sona Lakhoyan Olivier, also indicated her intention to serve a formal notice to Cogeco after her name was linked to the accusations on a French-language radio program.
Quebecor, the parent company of the Journal de Montréal, has yet to respond to requests for comments on the matter.
Rodriguez addressed the situation on Friday and defended the party’s response to the developments. He mentioned that they became aware of the alleged irregularities on Tuesday evening and have since called for an external investigation. It was surprising for many, including Premier François Legault, to learn that offering money to influence leadership race voting is not prohibited under the Election Act. Legault expressed disbelief at the legality of such actions and hinted at potential intervention to address the issue.
Rodriguez maintained that the party’s leadership contest was conducted appropriately, with the belief that such activities were unlawful. He urged all parties in the National Assembly to collaborate on amending electoral laws swiftly to prohibit such practices.
The party faced further turmoil when MNA Marwah Rizqy was suspended from the Liberal caucus and stripped of her duties as the party’s legislative leader for dismissing her chief of staff without consultation. This led to a legal dispute, with Geneviève Hinse, the former chief of staff, filing a lawsuit seeking damages from Rizqy. Legal correspondence between the parties escalated, culminating in Hinse’s legal action against Rizqy.
The ongoing developments within the Quebec Liberal Party have raised concerns about the party’s prospects in the upcoming provincial election.