The Sûreté du Québec has launched an investigation into MNA Pierre Paradis, who has been ejected from the provincial cabinet and the Liberal caucus, Premier Philippe Couillard announced late Thursday.
The SQ alerted the premier on Jan. 20, when he was attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, to a complaint that had been lodged against Paradis, a highly-placed source told the Montreal Gazette.
At that point, police only said they were looking into the complaint, the source said.
On Tuesday, the premier’s office received a letter from the alleged victim, with details about the complaint. Police were still making some checks, but the premier decided Paradis would leave his cabinet post temporarily.
In a strange twist, Paradis’ office told reporters he was sidelined because he had fallen off a horse and was suffering a concussion.
Sources say it’s possible the accident happened while Paradis was also being investigated.
Then, on Thursday evening, the SQ told the premier’s office that it had opened a investigation into Paradis, for something that allegedly occurred in Quebec City.
“Under the circumstances, Mr. Paradis was relieved of his duties as a minister and excluded from the government caucus,” Couillard said in a statement.
TVA reported that the investigation centres on an altercation that occurred in a bar.
Paradis, 66, is MNA for Brome-Missisquoi and had been Quebec’s agriculture minister. Transport Minister Laurent Lessard is taking over the agriculture portfolio.
Paradis has been a Liberal MNA since 1980. In 1983, he unsuccessfully ran for the Liberal leadership, losing to Robert Bourassa.
Under Bourassa, Paradis held the environment, municipal affairs and labour portfolios.
Before he entered politics, Paradis was known as “the pig farmer’s friend” because, as a lawyer in the Eastern Townships, he defended accused agricultural polluters.
The Director of penal and criminal prosecutions (DPCP) is currently reviewing the case of another MNA.
Gerry Sklavounos, who was elected under the Liberal banner, was asked in October by the premier to sit as an independent, following Alice Paquet’s allegations she was sexually assaulted by the MNA at a restaurant where she worked as a hostess.
Prosecutors are in the process of deciding whether they have enough evidence to lay charges against Sklavounos.
