Liberal and CAQ candidates drop out of upcoming byelection in Louis-Hébert
Embattled Liberal Éric Tétrault quit the race less than 2 hours after CAQ candidate Normand Sauvageau
Both the Coalition Avenir Québec and the Liberal candidates in the upcoming byelection in the Quebec City riding of Louis-Hébert dropped out of the race on Wednesday.
The Liberal candidate, Éric Tétrault, stepped down from the race after apologizing publicly for "unacceptable behaviour" in his previous job at the mining company ArcelorMittal.
"I offer my regrets and my apologies. Even if the complaints weren't upheld, that doesn't mean I wasn't a bit rough and abrasive with people," said Tétrault, who also formerly served as the communications director to premier Jean Charest.
The apology came after La Presse reported that Tétrault had been the subject of complaints about alleged psychological harassment when he served as director of communications at ArcelorMittal in 2014.
The report prompted an emergency meeting between Tétrault and top Liberal officials Wednesday afternoon — and ultimately, his resignation.
Then, later in the afternoon, CAQ candidate Normand Sauvageau dropped out of the race.
In a statement, Sauvageau said he received a call earlier in the day from a journalist, who had questions surrounding his early retirement in 2016. More than a year ago, he wrote, Sauvageau retired under "difficult labour relations circumstances" and had not been transparent with his party about what had happened.
His LinkedIn and Twitter page said he worked at Scotiabank for 39 years.
CAQ Leader François Legault didn't delve into details, but on Twitter he wrote that "at the CAQ, it's zero tolerance. I acted as soon as I found out."
Legault said he would announce a new candidate soon.
Tétrault, for his part, said he took the decision to bow out of the race after speaking with his family.
"I spoke to my son, who is seven years old, at around 4:30 p.m., and I saw that even at such a young age, he was burdened," he said.
"It's not fun for him, for my wife nor for my other young son. So I told myself, 'We are not doing this. We are putting an end to this now.'"
The byelection in Louis-Hébert is slated for Oct. 2.
Unacceptable behaviour, report finds
La Presse reported that ArcelorMittal hired an independent investigator to look into Tétrault's behaviour following complaints from employees.
The investigation concluded that Tétrault had psychologically harassed two female employees, that his behaviour was unacceptable and that he had created a difficult work environment.
When La Presse confronted Tétrault on Tuesday, he downplayed it. But he changed his tune when speaking to Radio-Canada Wednesday morning.
He admitted his behaviour was unacceptable and could be interpreted as "psychological harassment," even if ArcelorMittal ultimately didn't come to that conclusion.
The mining company did not return a request for comment from CBC News on Wednesday.
Opposition has already targeted Tétrault
Tétrault had already come under fire from opposition parties for his behavior when he served as communications director to former premier Jean Charest from 2008 to 2010.
He admitted he attended a Céline Dion concert at the Bell centre in 2008 in a private box paid for by construction entrepreneur Lino Zambito, who was later found guilty of fraud.
He also admitted he's been contacted by the province's anti-corruption unit, UPAC, about its fraud investigation into former deputy premier Nathalie Normandeau.
Tétrault explained earlier this month that he left the Céline Dion concert quickly after he realized that nature of the invitation to the private box. He also said he's ready to testify at Normandeau's trial if called to do so.