(Quebec) The only declared candidate to succeed Dominique Anglade, MP Frédéric Beauchemin, is excluded from the Liberal caucus during the investigation into a complaint for psychological harassment filed against him.
The interim leader of the Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ), Marc Tanguay, asked the MP on Saturday “to withdraw from the Liberal caucus while the processes aimed at shedding light are completed.” The PLQ clarified The Press that the elected representative of Marguerite-Bourgeoys, in Montreal, is indeed excluded from the caucus.
This decision comes one week before the party’s general council which will set the rules for the leadership race and the date of the congress. The scenario retained so far, which is still the subject of debates with regional associations, is to start the race in the fall of 2024 for a leadership conference in the spring of 2025.
Frédéric Beauchemin has been touring Quebec for several months now to make himself known and gather support for the campaign. His exclusion from the caucus is obviously a blow to his charm operation.
However, “this in no way changes the fact that I will continue to give all my energy to the relaunch of the Party and the continuation of things”, supported the MP on social networks on Saturday.
“I take note of the decision rendered by the interim leader,” he added. I have no doubt that I will quickly reunite with my caucus colleagues at the end of the process that has already begun and in which I am fully collaborating. I remain a proud Liberal member and I will continue to fulfill my role as an MP and meet activists to help relaunch the Liberal Party of Quebec. »
The president of the Youth Commission and researcher of the party in Parliament, Élyse Moisan, filed a complaint for psychological harassment against Mr. Beauchemin with the party’s Legal Commission and with the National Assembly. The complaint also targets members of the youth wing’s management office, some of whom are political employees of the MP.
Frédéric Beauchemin denied the allegations. In his defense, he questioned the leadership of interim leader Marc Tanguay. He maintained that “the current situation is a symptom of the crisis affecting the party” and that “the Youth Commission, like the other bodies of the Party, is paralyzed by the absence of clear direction”.
Marc Tanguay gave up running to succeed Dominique Anglade a month ago, after having been pressured internally to give the truth about his intentions.
Frédéric Beauchemin will now sit as an independent MP. The PLQ now has 18 elected officials in its caucus.
Former general manager and head of capital markets at Scotiabank, Mr. Beauchemin joined the National Assembly a year ago. He was part of Dominique Anglade’s economic team, a team which then lost a big piece in Carlos Leitão, whose end of political career was overshadowed by the errors contained in the liberal financial framework.
Frédéric Beauchemin was until now the party’s spokesperson for the economy and finances. He thus faced two heavyweights from the Legault government, Pierre Fitzgibbon and Eric Girard.
Tiles accumulate for the PLQ. Last Monday, he obtained a catastrophic result during the by-election in Jean-Talon, a constituency which was his stronghold since its creation in 1965 and until 2019. His candidate had to settle for crumbs, 8.8 % voices. That’s a drop of about five points from the already low score recorded a year ago in the general election.