The legal troubles of former Montreal mayor Denis Coderre against Revenu Québec should disqualify him from the race for the leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party, believes Notre-Dame-de-Grâce MNA Désirée McGraw.
“Someone who doesn’t pay their taxes, for me, that disqualifies them as a candidate. I’m sorry, but in Quebec, we pay our taxes,” said Mme McGraw on Wednesday, after a meeting with other Liberal elected officials held in Gatineau.
The day before, Revenu Québec imposed a second legal mortgage of $67,000 on Denis Coderre’s residence in Montreal North. Added to the previous one, his debt to the tax authorities amounted to $134,276 as of August 19, Revenu Québec was able to confirm The Duty from information first broadcast by Cogeco News.
Desiree McGraw agreed she does not have the power to reject a candidate’s candidacy, but she “hopes the rules are going to be very clear.” The race for the leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) does not officially begin until January 2025.
PLQ President Rafael P. Ferraro said candidates would have to go through “a whole process” in the first three months of 2025, including submitting “a series of documents” before seeing their place confirmed on the starting line. “Everyone has to pay their taxes in Quebec,” he added.
Support for Rodriguez
Désirée McGraw openly supports Pablo Rodriguez, currently the federal Minister of Transport. Justin Trudeau’s lieutenant has not yet confirmed his intention to run for the leadership of the provincial Liberals, but his campaign has already begun behind the scenes at the PLQ.
Pablo Rodriguez would be “the most ‘prime ministerial’ candidate of all the candidates,” according to Mme McGraw. She sees no risk in the provincial and federal Liberal brands being merged under her leadership, contrary to what candidate Charles Milliard said the day before.
The former president of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce of Quebec said that an elected official coming from the federal government, like Mr. Rodriguez, should make “a profession of faith towards Quebec” to present himself as leader of the PLQ.
According to Désirée McGraw, her “friend and neighbour”, this is not a problem, since the Liberal Party of Quebec and the Liberal Party of Canada share a whole range of common values. She named “federalism, inclusion, diversity [et] economic responsibility” as examples. But “it is not the same party at all.”
With Isabelle Porter, Améli Pineda and Stéphanie Vallet