(Quebec) The only declared candidate to replace Dominique Anglade, MP Frédéric Beauchemin, will be expelled from the Liberal group pending an investigation into a bullying complaint lodged against him.
Published at 3:50 p.m. Updated at 4:59 p.m
Interim leader of the Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ), Marc Tanguay, called on the MP on Saturday to “withdraw from the Liberal caucus while the clarification processes are completed.” The PLQ clarified to La Presse that Marguerite-Bourgeoys’ elected representative in Montreal was in fact excluded from the group.
This decision comes a week before the party’s General Council, which will set the rules for the leadership contest and the date of the congress. The scenario maintained so far, which is still the subject of debates with regional associations, envisages starting the race in autumn 2024 for a leadership conference in spring 2025.
Frédéric Beauchemin has been traveling around Quebec for several months to make himself known and gather support for the campaign. His expulsion from the caucus is obviously a blow to his charm operation.
However, “this does not change the fact that I will continue to put all my energy into the new beginning of the party and moving things forward,” the MP confirmed on social networks on Saturday.
“I note the decision of the interim chairman,” he added. I have no doubt that I will quickly reunite with my group colleagues at the end of the process, which has already begun and in which I am fully cooperating. I remain a proud Liberal member and will continue to fulfill my role as an MP and meet activists to help revitalize the Quebec Liberal Party. »
The president of the youth commission and the party’s researcher in parliament, Élyse Moisan, filed a complaint of bullying against Mr. Beauchemin with the party’s legal commission and with the National Assembly. The complaint is also directed against members of the youth department’s office, including political employees of the House of Representatives.
Frédéric Beauchemin rejected the allegations. In his defense, he questioned the leadership of interim leader Marc Tanguay. He claimed that “the current situation is a symptom of the party’s crisis” and that “the Youth Commission, like the party’s other bodies, is paralyzed by the lack of clear direction.”
Marc Tanguay abandoned his candidacy to succeed Dominique Anglade a month ago after coming under internal pressure to reveal the truth about his intentions.
Frédéric Beauchemin will now sit as an independent MP. The PLQ currently has 18 elected officials in its caucus.
Mr. Beauchemin, former general manager and head of capital markets at Scotiabank, joined the National Assembly a year ago. He was part of Dominique Anglade’s economic team, which then lost a large part with Carlos Leitão, whose end of his political career was overshadowed by the errors of the liberal financial framework.
Frédéric Beauchemin was previously the party’s economic and finance spokesman. He thus met two heavyweights of the Legault government, Pierre Fitzgibbon and Eric Girard.
Tiles are collected for the PLQ. Last Monday he achieved a disastrous result in the by-election in Jean-Talon, a constituency that was his stronghold since its creation in 1965 and until 2019. His candidate had to make do with crumbs, namely 8.8% of the vote. That’s a drop of about five points from the already low result achieved in the general election a year ago.