Rimouski MNA Harold LeBel's sexual assault jury trial will finally begin on Nov. 7. It's scheduled to last three weeks.
The 59-year-old former Parti Quebecois MNA had announced in early March that he would not be a candidate in the upcoming Oct. 3 election.
"Deeply disappointed" at having to end his political career, he said his decision had nothing to do with "any presumption as to the outcome of this case."
The Surete du Quebec (SQ) arrested LeBel on Dec. 15, 2020, and he was then excluded from the PQ for the duration of the judicial process.
He announced through his lawyer his intention to plead not guilty to the charge of sexual assault that was brought against him.
The alleged acts LeBel is charged with allegedly occurred in 2017.
The identity of the alleged victim is protected by a publication ban.
A long-time sovereignist activist, LeBel was elected under the PQ banner in 2014 and re-elected in 2018. He has been sitting since December 2020 as an independent MNA.
The news of his arrest created a shock wave at the National Assembly, where the MNA enjoyed a good reputation.
RETURN TO THE ASSEMBLY
Last week, LeBel returned to the National Assembly to comment on the 2022-2023 budget speech tabled by Finance Minister Eric Girard.
In his statement in the Salon Bleu, he defended vulnerable seniors and called for a summit to better care for them in the context of an accelerating aging population.
Nothing prevents an elected official from sitting in the National Assembly even if he or she is facing criminal charges.
Until the end of the parliamentary session on June 10, LeBel will be entitled to three questions and one statement in the House in each cycle of 10 sittings.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 4, 2022.
