Former Québec solidaire candidate Marie-Eve Rancourt, who withdrew from the campaign for stealing a Parti Québécois (PQ) leaflet, may have to face justice. If a complaint is not required, a more extensive evidence file should however be filed. Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois does not intend to suggest to his activists who to vote for.
Posted at 1:09 p.m.
Updated at 2:38 p.m.
“Any accusation begins either with a complaint or with a police investigation. If there are no complaints, the SPVM would have to decide on its own to investigate, by going to ask the neighbors questions, for example,” explains The Press criminal lawyer M.e Nada Boumeftah.
However, she argues that in many cases of mail theft, even complaints may be insufficient. “There, it strikes the imagination, because we touch on the concept of democracy and access to information. But the police do not base themselves on this to act or not. It is primarily a question of the evidence required. It would follow the justice system like the other files, ”recalls the lawyer.
On Monday, the solidarity candidate in Camille-Laurin, a riding in eastern Montreal, announced that she was withdrawing from the race after a video of her was published showing her stealing a flyer left by a volunteer from the Parti Québécois (PQ) in a mailbox. Mme Rancourt apologized for her gesture, before excluding herself from the race shortly after.
Guy Misson, the citizen who posted the initial video, confirmed on Facebook on Monday that he would not file a complaint. “I had still made the decision to go and file a complaint with the police tomorrow morning, but given your decision to withdraw, I will refrain from doing so. The consequences of your gesture are more than enough, ”he judged.
Nuances to bring
“It is not because it is published on Facebook that the police are necessarily going to get into it”, further nuances Me Boumeftah. “The Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP) cannot file a complaint without it going through the police,” she insists.
The spokesperson for the DPCP, Ms.e Patricia Johnson is also going in this direction. “In the event that a file is brought to our attention for analysis by the police force, a rigorous examination of the evidence collected will be conducted to determine whether a criminal prosecution can and should be instituted,” she said. in an email, admitting however that his group “does not have any public information concerning this event” for the moment.
At least two sections of the Criminal Code theoretically cover the act committed by Marie-Eve Rancourt: section 356.1. A on mail theft, or section 334. B, which regulates the theft of property worth less than $5,000.
“In general, the DPCP cannot publicly issue a legal opinion for a given situation. In this case, such an opinion would require an in-depth analysis of all the circumstances surrounding the alleged commission of an offence,” added Ms.me Johnson on this.
At the SPVM, we refuse for the moment to confirm or deny that a complaint has been filed, or if an investigation has been opened, all “for reasons of confidentiality”.
No directive, says Nadeau-Dubois
“It’s unfortunate, I think to say the least. Voters will not be given voting instructions […]. I trust the intelligence of voters and I let them make their choice, “said the parliamentary leader of Québec solidaire, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, on Tuesday.
Mr. Nadeau-Dubois does not consider that this event, which monopolized his day on Monday, will have repercussions on his last days of campaign.
The outgoing parliamentary leader of the party meets Tuesday with the mayor of Quebec, Bruno Marchand. He will then participate in an activist activity in the riding of Saint-François, in Sherbrooke, where his party is doing everything it can to elect its star candidate, the medical specialist in public health Mélissa Généreux.
Over the next few days, Québec solidaire will also travel to the riding of Hull, in Outaouais, where the left-wing party believes it has a chance of obtaining the seat in a three-way battle with the CAQ and the Liberal Party.