QUEBEC CITY -- The trial of former PQ MNA Harold LeBel, who is pleading not guilty to a charge of sexual assault, opened Monday morning at the Rimouski courthouse with the selection of the jury.
Harold LeBel was arrested on Dec. 15, 2020. The alleged acts occurred in October 2017; the identity of the alleged victim is protected by a publication ban.
On Monday, 14 jurors were selected: 10 women and four men. Superior Court Judge Serge Francoeur explained that because of COVID-19, he selected two more jurors than usual.
"I decided, after consultation with counsel, that it was in the interests of justice to select 14 jurors in this case to ensure that a full jury would be able to deliberate," he said.
All the jurors will have to follow the trial. However, the law provides that only 12 jurors are allowed to deliberate, so "I will have to reduce the size of the jury ... by drawing numbers at random," the magistrate added.
The court on Monday ensured that the selected jurors had not committed a criminal act, had not been sexually assaulted and did not know the people involved in the case.
Seven prospective jurors were exempted because of their links to the former MNA or because of health problems. One lady stated that her mother had been abused and for this reason she could not take part in the trial.
Wearing a suit and tie, Harold LeBel watched the jury selection carefully. It is unclear so far whether the 60-year-old will testify at his trial, which is expected to last two to three weeks.
Throughout the trial, the complainant and any civilian witnesses will not be identified. Nor will any member of the jury be allowed to be identified, nor will any non-jury discussion be reported.
Harold LeBel's lawyer is Maxime Roy, who represented former Liberal MNA Nathalie Normandeau during her trial for breach of trust and corruption in municipal affairs.
Normandeau was released from all charges in 2020 when the judge ordered a stay of proceedings due to unreasonable delays.
A long-time sovereignist activist, Harold LeBel was elected under the PQ banner in 2014 and re-elected in 2018. Excluded from the PQ, he sat between December 2020 and October 2022 as an independent MNA.
The news of his arrest sent shockwaves through the National Assembly, where the MNA was well-liked and had a good reputation.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Nov. 7, 2022.
