The leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec, Christine Fréchette, pointed fingers at members within her party for attempting to involve journalists in investigating foreign interference in the electoral process. She sought to distance herself from a controversy that has lingered throughout her election campaign. Fréchette retracted her previous statements about potential American involvement in aiding the sovereigntist Parti Québécois to disrupt the Canadian federation.
Initially, Fréchette had urgently requested a meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney to address her concerns, but later clarified that there was no evidence of foreign interference in the ongoing provincial election. However, she was compelled to revisit the issue following a news report by Radio-Canada, which disclosed that someone from the Coalition Avenir Québec had approached journalists regarding foreign interference before informing her or the federal authorities.
In Mont-Tremblant, Fréchette expressed her disapproval of the unauthorized actions, emphasizing the need for such matters to be discussed with her first due to their sensitivity. She and Domestic Security Minister Ian Lafrenière stated that the party had internally dealt with the leak concerning foreign interference discussions.
Fréchette mentioned that the individual who spoke to journalists about essays from a U.S.-based think tank advocating for division in Canada to destabilize the country was still part of her team. Additionally, she confirmed that her party had engaged with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service in the past week to address potential interference.
CSIS stated in an email to The Canadian Press that they had briefed political parties in the province in June on the risks of foreign interference. Fréchette’s political rivals, Quebec Liberal Leader Charles Milliard and PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, criticized her management of the interference claims, suggesting that it raised questions about her leadership.
With a week remaining before election day on Oct. 5, party leaders have limited time to convey their messages to voters. The second and final day of advance polling is set to conclude at 8 p.m. on Monday.