Craig Sauvé withdraws from Projet Montréal caucus amid abuse allegation

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While continuing to deny a 2012 sexual assault allegation that surfaced this week, Councilman Craig Sauvé announced Thursday night that he will withdraw from the Projet Montréal caucus and sit as an independent “to avoid becoming a distraction in this election campaign.” .

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“This election is too important for the future of Montreal”, wrote in a post on Facebook . He remains a candidate for city councilor in the Sud-Ouest district and will continue to be independent if re-elected, he said. Because the election is this weekend, he will remain on the ballot as a Projet Montréal candidate.

Hours earlier, Denis Coderre asked Sauvé to resign and accused party leader Valérie Plante of an attempted cover-up.

Sauvé said that the accusations against him are false and that he has already been acquitted of any crime.

“I was the subject of an unfounded accusation about an event that happened in 2012,” Sauvé said in a statement issued Thursday morning. “Having nothing to feel guilty about, I handled this accusation collaboratively and respectfully, and after a thorough investigation the police closed the case.

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“I want to be clear with everyone: I categorically deny the accusations.”

Sauvé repeated that denial in his evening statement, saying that he would be open to “any steps I can take”, but also that he is “prepared to take the necessary legal measures to defend my honor and my reputation, which have been seriously attacked.”

Documents obtained by the Montreal Gazette show that a female citizen informed Projet Montréal in 2018 that she was accusing a councilor of misconduct against her that allegedly occurred in 2012, before he was a councilor or member of Projet Montréal. Neither the citizen nor the councilor are identified in the documents, which refer only to “misdemeanors” perpetrated by the councilor.

Projet Montréal organized a voluntary and confidential mediation process by an independent mediator, attended by both the citizen and Sauvé. The two appeared to be cooperating in good faith, the mediator wrote in a letter to Projet Montréal describing the mediation, and the names and details requested remain confidential. In documents obtained by the Montreal Gazette, Projet Montréal said the case was handled by the mediator and later declared closed.

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In a letter sent to the citizen’s lawyer in September 2018, Marie-Dominique Giguère, acting director of Projet Montréal, said that the mediator concluded that the events were a private matter and did not implicate the party. He also pointed out that the mediator told the citizen that she could go to the authorities at any time to press charges, but that he clearly said that he did not want to.

CBC Montreal reported Thursday that the letters sent by the citizen’s lawyer to Sauvé and Plante said that the mediation process failed and the citizen demanded a one-time payment of $ 25,000 for “damages derived from the incidents.” The letter also demanded that Sauvé resign from all positions other than his elected position, that a $ 10,000 donation be made to a sexual assault center, and that Sauvé should receive at least 10 hours of counseling.

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Projet Montréal suggested that the lawyer and citizen, who does not want to be identified, go to the “legitimate authorities” to seek reparations. Montreal police opened an investigation into the incidents and closed it in February 2021, CBC reported, without charges being filed.

Plante was asked in July 2020 if there were any Montreal elected officials who were the subject of allegations of sexual assault or harassment, and he said no. On Thursday, he said that when the question was asked, the case against Sauvé had been closed, so what he said was correct. But CBC reports indicate that the case was still being investigated by the police at the time.

On Thursday, Plante stood firm in his earlier comments during a press conference in Rivière-des-Prairies, saying the party handled the situation properly by organizing a mediation process.

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“I have been very transparent about this case,” he said. “After the process, we didn’t hear from the person for two years. So I have been transparent. I feel like I did the right thing. And ultimately, I believe that where there is a situation like this, the notion of the presumption of innocence is important in our society. “

When asked at a press conference if Sauvé should resign, Coderre said yes. He also accused Plante of covering up the case and said he owes the public an apology.

“She talks about transparency and kept this a secret,” he said. “She knew and lied.”

Plante has been accusing Coderre of a lack of transparency for days after he refused to file his tax returns or reveal who he worked for in the private sector in recent years. Coderre eventually compiled a list of his employers, but has not released his tax returns.

Jason Magder of the Montreal Gazette contributed to this report.

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