Coalition Avenir Québec reckons with interference claims as campaign enters last week
CSIS had already briefed Quebec parties on foreign interference risks, while Fréchette said no confirmed meddling had been found in the campaign.
- On Monday, Coalition Avenir Québec Leader Christine Fréchette distanced herself from warnings that American operatives were assisting the Parti Québécois, confirming there was no evidence of foreign interference in the provincial election campaign.
- The controversy originated from essays by the Defense Analyses and Research Corporation advocating that Americans stoke division in Canada; Fréchette initially demanded an urgent meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney before retracting her interference warnings on Friday.
- Radio-Canada reported Monday that a staffer leaked the interference story to journalists before informing Fréchette; Domestic Security Minister Ian Lafrenière confirmed the party addressed the leak internally, stating, "That initiative wasn't orchestrated by anyone."
- On Sunday, Quebec Liberal Leader Charles Milliard and PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon criticized the handling of the affair, claiming the controversy disqualifies Fréchette from leadership as the October 5 election approaches.
- With advance polling ending Monday at 8 p.m., the party confirmed it met with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service last week; CSIS spokesperson Eric Balsam noted that briefings on election risks are standard practice for all political parties.
40 Articles
40 Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
Quebec candidates have six days left to make their pitch before election day
MONTREAL - Election day is less than a week away in Quebec.
Coalition Avenir Québec reckons with interference claims as campaign enters last week
Coalition Avenir Québec leader Christine Fréchette blamed members of her own party for trying to get journalists to pursue a story about foreign interference in the electoral process as she tried to distance herself on Monday from a controversy that has dogged her on the election campaign trail for days.
Fréchette blames CAQ staff for handling of foreign interference claims
Coalition Avenir Québec Leader Christine Fréchette blamed members of her own party for trying to get journalists to pursue a story about foreign interference in the electoral process as she tried to distance herself on Monday from a controversy that has dogged her on the election campaign trail for days.
TVA Nouvelles
Ian Lafrenière claims to be aware of the risks of American interference in Quebec since January.
How the CAQ’s foreign interference bombshell turned into a dud in the Quebec election
Thomas Juneau, a professor at the University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, said it may be too early to jump to conclusions as to whether DARC has attempted to meddle in the Quebec election, in an overt or covert way.
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