QS candidate steps down after video shows her removing PQ flyer from mailbox

A candidate for Québec solidaire (QS) is stepping down after videos surfaced online showing her removing a rival's flyer from a homeowner's mailbox while campaigning.

The announcement was made by party spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois early Monday evening. 

"We had a frank discussion with Mme. Rancourt, and the conclusion of that discussion was that Mme. Rancourt offered her resignation as the candidate for Quebec solidaire in Camille-Laurin," Nadeau-Dubois said during a press scrum. 

The video in question was taken from the man's surveillance cameras at his home in the Camille-Laurin riding in Montreal's east end and published on Facebook. It shows a volunteer from the Parti Québécois (PQ) dropping off a flyer in his mailbox and then leaving.

A subsequent video then appears to show QS candidate Marie-Eve Rancourt showing up to the same mailbox and dropping off a QS flyer before removing the PQ leaflet and walking away.

Rancourt, a lawyer, posted an apology to the PQ leader on her social media accounts Monday afternoon, shortly after the videos were published.

"I want to personally apologize to Paul St-Pierre Plamondon for the video that appeared on Facebook. This should never have happened," Rancourt wrote.

"All the candidates have their place in this race and I commit to finishing this electoral sprint in respect and the rules of art."

Her Twitter account has since been deleted.

Je tiens à m’excuser personnellement à Paul St-Pierre Plamondon pour la vidéo qui a fait son apparition sur Facebook. Ça n’aurait jamais dû arriver. Tous les candidats ont leur place dans cette course et je m’engage à finir ce sprint électoral dans le respect des règles de l'art

— Marie-Eve Rancourt (@rancourtmarie) September 26, 2022

• QUEBEC ELECTION 2022: Get the latest updates and in-depth coverage

The man who posted the videos, Guy Misson, told CTV News he was shocked by what he saw on the video.

"I don't really care if it's the CAQ, Quebec solidaire, or anybody … it's the fact that somebody stole something from my mailbox. That's it," Misson said.

He said he believes the QS co-spokesperson, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, should hold his candidate to account for the incident and should ask her to step down from the race to be a member in Quebec's National Assembly.

"If he wants to apply what he preached, he has to ask her to démissionné [quit]. She stole something from somewhere, if he think she's eligible to be somebody at the Assemblée nationale good for him. I don't think it's fair," Misson said.

"There's no way you can stay there with that kind of proof, with that kind of video. If she does that, what's she going to do in a year or two years? It's a question of integrity and honesty, and to me, she doesn't have any integrity and she doesn't have any honesty. She's not working in a depanneur or in a library. She wants to be a candidate at Assemblée nationale. You want to be in the government."

Misson's demands were met a few hours later, when it was announced that Rancourt was out of the race.

"I want to underline the fact that it was not an easy situation for her, nor for anyone else. Still, I think she made the right decision [to resign]," said Nadeau-Dubois. 

Au terme d’une discussion avec Marie-Eve Rancourt, elle m’a annoncé sa décision de retirer sa candidature dans la circonscription de Camille-Laurin.

Manon et moi avons accepté cette décision.

— Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois (@GNadeauDubois) September 26, 2022

In the 2018 provincial election, it was a tight race in the Camille-Laurin riding (it was previously known as Bourget) with the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) beating the PQ by a mere 500 votes. The QS came in third place with 7,865 votes.