Coderre’s problems with the tax authorities should “disqualify” him from the leadership of the PLQ, according to MPs.

Former Montreal mayor Denis Coderre’s legal problems against Revenu Québec should disqualify him from the race for the presidency Quebec Liberal Partybelieves the MP for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Désirée McGraw.

“Someone who doesn’t pay their fees, to me, that disqualifies them as a candidate. I’m sorry, but in Quebec, we pay our taxes,” said M.^me McGraw on Wednesday, following a meeting with other Liberal elected officials held in Gatineau.

The day before, Revenu Québec placed a second legal mortgage, of $67,000, on the residence of Denis Coderre in North Montreal. In addition to the previous one, his debts to the tax authorities amounted to $134,276 on August 19, able to confirm Duty based on information first broadcast by Cogeco Nouvelles.

Désirée McGraw agreed that she does not have the power to reject a head chef’s application, but she “hopes the rules are very clear”. The race for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ) does not officially begin until January 2025.

The president of the PLQ, Rafael P. Ferraro, specified that the candidates had to go through a “full process” in the first three months of 2025, including the submission of “a series of documents”, before their place can be seen confirmed on it. the starting line. “Everyone has to pay their taxes in Quebec,” he said.

Support for Rodriguez

Désirée McGraw openly supports Pablo Rodriguez, who is currently the Minister of Transport on the federal scene. Lieutenant of Justin Trudeau he has not yet confirmed that he intends to run for the leadership of the regional Liberals, but his campaign is already going on behind the scenes of the PLQ.

Pablo Rodriguez would be “the prime minister” of all the candidates, according to M^me McGraw. She sees no danger in the regional and federal liberal brands being united under her leadership, contrary to what the candidate Charles Milliard said the day before.

The former president of the Federation of Quebec Chambers of Commerce said that an elected official coming from the federal government, such as Mr. Rodriguez, should “make a profession of faith towards Quebec” to run as leader of the PLQ.

According to Désirée McGraw, her “friend and neighbor”, this is not a problem, because the Liberal Party of Quebec and the Liberal Party of Canada share a range of common values. She called “federalism, inclusion, diversity [et] economic responsibility” as examples. But “it is not the same party at all”.

With Isabelle Porter, Améli Pineda and Stéphanie Vallet

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