Quebec MNA Frederic Beauchemin denies allegations of psychological harassment

Quebec Liberal MNA Frederic Beauchemin questions the government during question period, Thursday, June 1, 2023 at the legislature in Quebec City. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

QUEBEC CITY -

Frederic Beauchemin, Liberal MNA for Marguerite-Bourgeoys, denies allegations of psychological harassment made against him and members of his team.

In a message on 'X' (formerly Twitter), Beauchemin asserts that the complaint, allegedly made by the president of the party's youth commission, Elyse Moisan, is unfounded.

He was reacting to the Journal de Quebec's report that Moisan had felt harassed, intimidated and threatened by Beauchemin's team.

"The complaint against me is unfounded. There is a process in place to hear it and understand its context. We will cooperate fully. I'm confident he'll be able to set the record straight," said Beauchemin.

In his opinion, the current situation is a "symptom of the crisis afflicting the Quebec Liberal Party (QLP)."

"The Youth Commission, like the rest of the party, is paralyzed by the absence of a clear direction. Activists (...) want the party to rebuild, not tear itself apart", he maintained.

So far, Beauchemin is the only person to have shown an interest in the PLQ leadership.

When asked for comment on Thursday evening, the PLQ's interim leader, Marc Tanguay, said only that these were "important allegations."

"We will respect the process on such occasions. We will make no further comment at this time," he said in a written statement sent to The Canadian Press.

"We have no comment to make on this," said Charlie Bourdages, press officer for the PLQ Youth Commission.

She indicated that Moisan would not be available for an interview on Thursday evening.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Oct.5, 2023.