The PQ demands the resignation of Eric Lefebvre, who defends his ethics

(Quebec) The Parti Québécois is calling for the resignation of former CAQ whip Eric Lefebvre, who now sits as an independent in the National Assembly while waiting to run for the Conservative Party of Canada. Mr. Lefebvre replies that he will sit in Quebec until the next federal election is called, then defends his ethics and his integrity.

“From now on, leave. It’s the right thing to do,” said PQ MP Pascal Bérubé on Tuesday. The reasoning he puts forward is as follows: the triggering of a by-election in the Arthabaska constituency is inevitable, since Éric Lefebvre will necessarily have to resign when the federal election is called, which will take place before the 2026 Quebec general elections.

“Whether (independent federal MP) Alain Rayes resigns soon, or whether there is a federal election certainly before the Quebec elections, it is a given that there is a partial, it will cost $600,000. There will definitely be a partial in Arthabaska,” said Mr. Bérubé.

He believes that one cannot “dedicate oneself totally to one’s role as an MP if one is engaged in a campaign to promote something completely different at the federal level.”

In a first press scrum in parliament since the announcement of his resignation from the CAQ caucus, Mr. Lefebvre defended his sense of ethics, insisting that he respects “all the rules”.

“From the moment my decision was made, it was important for me, in terms of transparency, in terms of ethics, to give my resignation to the Prime Minister to avoid all forms of conflicts of interest” , he said.

The member for Arthabaska continued that he did not intend to resign between now and the federal election and that he will be able, as an independent member, to continue his work for the citizens of his constituency.

“All I wanted to do was to be as transparent as possible with the population so as not to have privileged information while sitting on the council of ministers,” he said, specifying that the nor did the Prime Minister suggest that he resign from his role as an MP.

Video montage

At a press briefing on Tuesday, Pascal Bérubé also underlined that François Legault had himself requested that PQ MP Martine Ouellet leave her post when she became leader of the Bloc Québécois. He also clarified that he had not directly asked M^me Ouellet to leave his post at this time.

On social media, he shared a publication by former Parti Québécois leader Jean-François Lisée on X, who himself shared a montage of a press briefing by Mr. Legault dating from 2017.

In 2017, Mr. Legault declared at a press briefing that Mr.^me Ouellet had to make a choice between “the National Assembly or being leader of the Bloc Québécois.” “We cannot mix the two parliaments, the two positions she covets. So she will have to choose,” he said at the time.

The video does not, however, present the passages where Mr. Legault makes a direct link with the role of M.^me Ouellet as leader of the Bloc. What prevents Martine Ouellet from sitting here, if she defends the interests of her voters? asked a journalist. “That’s not what we’re talking about here. We are talking about someone who wants to be the leader of a party in Ottawa. So, it’s like two responsibilities that are not, in my opinion, reconcilable,” he said.

The parliamentary leader of Québec solidaire Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois was less direct, but he asked Mr. Lefebvre to undertake a “reflection”. “If I were him, I would wonder. The people of this riding have the right to be represented in the National Assembly of Quebec by a member who does his job as a member, and that is what he is paid for. There are reflections that are necessary in his case,” he said.

“The voters of this constituency have the right to be represented, they deserve a full-time deputy. I invite Mr. Lefebvre to think,” he added.

On the side of the Liberal Party, MP Monsef Derraji believes that Mr. Lefebvre can continue to do his job well as an independent elected representative.