The allegations of abuse of power weighing on Marie Montpetit are overwhelming, to the point where her reintegration into the liberal caucus is already compromised, Liberal leader Dominique Anglade said on Tuesday.
While the allegations against Mme Montpetit accumulate, Mme Anglade defended herself for having taken lightly the conflicting situations she had to deal with about her ex-colleague, whom she expelled from the caucus on Monday.
During a press briefing at the National Assembly, the Liberal leader explained that the abundance of information received in recent days compromises the return of the deputy, and this, even if the latter expressed a desire to change, made amends or apologizes.
“With the amount of information I have today, with the facts that have been presented to me, I don’t see how that would happen,” she said. This is what I can tell you. “
Dominique Anglade made the same observation about a possible candidacy of Mr.me Montpetit in the Montreal riding of Maurice-Richard.
“With the information I have today, I do not see how she could be a candidate,” added the liberal leader.
The duty reported the testimonies of eight employees or ex-employees who worked with Mr.me Montpetit. They speak of a deleterious work climate that she created, with insults, shouting and denigration.
Liberal Chief Whip Filomena Rotiroti referred on Tuesday to the investigation process surrounding harassment complaints in place at the National Assembly, without specifying whether formal complaints have been received or whether an investigation is underway.
“Our role as officers is to make sure that we accompany people who come to see us, who wish to file a complaint, and to support them in the process,” she said.
“I have an obligation to react”
Mme Anglade claimed that she had given no preferential treatment to Mr.me Montpetit, who co-chaired his leadership race for the Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ) in 2020.
“What we want is to make people feel good when they come to work,” she explained. Then, it is independently of the individual relations that one can have with someone. “
Mme Anglade did not detail what interventions were carried out with Mr.me Montpetit before his expulsion.
“We realize that the situation has not been resolved,” she said. Consequently, she can no longer be part of our caucus. “
Mme Anglade assures that she was unaware of all the deviations alleged against Mr.me Montpetit before being elected head of the PLQ.
“From the moment when I am leader of the party and where I am responsible for my political formation, and when facts are brought to me, I have the obligation to react and I have the obligation to take action” a she said.
For his part, the chairman of the liberal caucus, Pierre Arcand, was also completely ignorant of the situations reported when he was interim leader, before the election of Mr.me Anglade.
“I had regular meetings with the officers of my political formation and I did not hear, at the time, a complaint about Mr.me Montpetit ”, he assured.
Disturbing testimony
Testimonies have multiplied since Mr.me Montpetit was called to order by Dominique Anglade because she had publicly criticized her colleague Gaétan Barrette last week.
MP Christine St-Pierre said in an interview with QUB Radio that she had received, on Friday, the confidences of an unidentified person who suffered the behavior of the MP.
“This testimony troubled me a lot, it was in the order of denigration,” she said. From what this person told me, it was mean. “
According to Mme St-Pierre, Marie Montpetit is intelligent and can bounce back. “She has something to bring to society,” she said.
Marie Montpetit, who called for an independent investigation into the allegations against her, defended herself in recent days by declaring that she has “always placed respect at the heart of [ses] professional relationships. “