QUEBEC — The Coalition Avenir Québec has slapped another ex-employee and the premier’s chief of staff with legal warnings urging them to admit by Friday to possessing confidential and highly strategic CAQ documents.
The CAQ said it found that on July 5, 7, 8, 18, 20, 27 and 28, former CAQ staffer Yan Plante copied strategic documents over to his personal email.
The documents include the CAQ’s agenda for the pre-session caucus meeting it held in St-Jérôme in August, outlining the party’s strategy for the fall session, as well as the CAQ’s electoral strategy for the upcoming by-election in the riding of St-Jérôme.
Plante was hired to work in the premier’s office on Aug. 15.
“Everything points to Mr. Plante having violated his obligation of confidentiality and loyalty,” said CAQ MNA Simon Jolin-Barrette. “Are these documents in the hands of the Quebec Liberal Party? We want to make sure that they never were, and will never be, communicated and shared around the premier’s office, executive council, cabinet, departments, and in the Quebec Liberal Party.”
Earlier this month, another CAQ ex-staffer, Frédéric Schautaud who was applying to work for Economic Development Minister Dominique Anglade, was found by the CAQ to have copied internal documents. He apologized after being hit with a legal warning, and after much hesitation, Anglade terminated the hiring process.
Responding to reporters on Wednesday, Premier Philippe Couillard said CAQ Leader François Legault was trying to create a diversion: “Why do so many people leave his party? Why do so many people leave him? I will repeat the answer, because it’s the answer we hear when people from the CAQ talk to us, it’s because there is no room inside the party for people who believe in both Quebec and Canada,” he said.
Defending Plante, Couillard added: “All the checks were done; we have no need to know anything about the CAQ. Mr. Plante does not talk about the CAQ with us.”
The legal warnings ask that Plante and Jean-Louis Dufresne destroy all electronic CAQ documents and turn over paper copies.
Jolin-Barrette said the CAQ is not yet ready to call in the Sûreté du Québec, but the party is evaluating all its options.
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