Quebec Liberal Party Leader Pablo Rodriguez has issued a formal notice to the Journal de Montréal following the publication of an article earlier this week. The announcement came after Rodriguez gathered his caucus in Montreal to address a string of challenges facing the party.
The French-language daily revealed excerpts of alleged text messages indicating that party members received financial incentives for supporting Rodriguez in the previous leadership election. According to the Journal de Montréal, the messages were exchanged this spring between individuals actively working to promote Rodriguez’s leadership bid.
Rodriguez clarified that the purpose of the notice is not to reveal the newspaper’s sources but to identify those involved in the purported vote-buying scheme. He specified that the party seeks information on the individuals mentioned, their associated phone numbers, and details on the verification process conducted by the newspaper before publishing the allegations.
Moreover, Liberal MNA for Chomedey Sona Lakhoyan Olivier informed the caucus that she is issuing a formal notice to Cogeco after her name was mentioned in connection with the accusations on a French-language radio program. Olivier affirmed her innocence, denying any involvement in the creation of the text messages.
Quebecor, the owner of the Journal de Montréal, has not provided a response to requests for comment.
In a separate development, Rodriguez defended the party’s response to the situation and emphasized that they were first made aware of the irregularities on Tuesday evening. He emphasized that they have initiated an external investigation in light of the circumstances. Surprisingly, it was revealed that providing monetary incentives to influence votes in a leadership race is not prohibited under the Election Act, prompting criticism from Premier François Legault.
Rodriguez maintained that the party’s leadership contest was conducted ethically and called for a revision of electoral laws to prevent such practices in the future.
Following the allegations, the party faced additional turmoil when MNA Marwah Rizqy was suspended from the Liberal caucus and relieved of her duties as the party’s legislative leader due to the unilateral dismissal of her chief of staff. This action led to a legal dispute between Rizqy and Geneviève Hinse, who filed a lawsuit seeking damages.
The situation escalated further with lawyers’ letters exchanged between the parties, highlighting the ongoing internal conflicts within the Quebec Liberal Party.