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MONTREAL — A Parti Quebecois member of the legislature has been dumped by his party after he was arrested Tuesday in connection with an allegation of sexual assault.
Quebec provincial police arrested Harold LeBel, 58, in Rimouski, Que., about 315 kilometres northeast of Quebec City. Hours later, the PQ ejected him from its caucus.
PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon confirmed the arrest during a news conference. “We are obviously in shock,” St-Pierre Plamondon told reporters at the party’s offices in Montreal. “The reasons given in support of his arrest are very serious.”
Provincial police would not formally identify Lebel; they did confirm, however, that a 58-year-old man had been arrested in Rimouski in connection with a sexual assault complaint. Police said they were questioning the man and did not want to release more details of the case.
A spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office said LeBel will appear in court at a later date, adding that the alleged victim’s identity is being protected by a publication ban.
Radio-Canada cameras filmed LeBel leaving the police station about 12:30 p.m. A provincial police spokesperson said the man arrested in connection with the sexual assault complaint was released on a promise to appear in court on Jan. 11.
Earlier in the day, St-Pierre Plamondon said he hadn’t spoken with LeBel since the arrest and said the party is willing to collaborate with authorities. “Sexual violence — all sexual violence — must be fought with force,” the PQ leader said. “No one is above the law.”
LeBel was a longtime political staffer before being elected in the riding of Rimouski with the PQ in 2014, after which he held numerous critic portfolios.
LeBel’s arrest came on the same day an all-party committee of the provincial legislature presented a report on better support for victims of sexual assault.
Fellow PQ member Veronique Hivon said she was shaken by the arrest of her colleague and said the party did the right thing by expelling LeBel and adhering to the principal of zero tolerance.
She’s hopeful the report and recommendations submitted Tuesday will bring some hope to victims.
“A message of hope to rebuild confidence, and I hope that through what is happening today, the victims will see that there is absolutely no one who is above the law,” Hivon said. “That this phenomenon is very present, too present in our society, that we have to fight it with all our energies, no matter who is involved.”
Fellow committee member Christine Labrie of Quebec solidaire said her thoughts were with the alleged victim.
“It takes a lot of courage to denounce,” Labrie said.
Speaking to reporters in Montreal, Premier Francois Legault also encouraged victims to come forward.
“No one should be protected,” he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 15, 2020.
The Canadian Press
