The Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ) is targeted by a complaint to the Commission on Standards, Equity, Health and Safety at Work (CNESST). The former employee behind the action accuses the party of constructive dismissal and of having failed to send him mandatory documents.
“I hope there are people within the party who will have an awakening. Members need to realize that it’s being handled poorly,” explained Samuel Lamarche, who was on contract for the party as a researcher, in an interview.
The ex-employee, who resigned last March, filed a complaint with the CNESST this week.
In the complaint that The duty was able to consult, he says he is the victim of disguised dismissal and criticizes the organization for having sidelined him for months without valid reason. He also accuses the PCQ organization of having failed to provide him with notice of termination of employment and the tax forms required by law. “I gave the party several chances before deciding to file a complaint. It’s still been a month and a half since I resigned. And before that, I had been trying to get information for three months. »
Mr. Lamarche’s superior at the party was executive director Eric Tetrault. The latter has not responded to his calls and emails since the party congress last November, he said.
“Systematic improvisation”
Samuel Lamarche joined the PCQ in the context of the pandemic. He had previously been an activist for the Parti Québécois and a candidate for the Bloc Québécois, but judged that the PQ had not sufficiently criticized the health measures imposed by the Legault government at the time.
During and after the last Quebec election campaign, he worked with the Conservative Party as a volunteer. Then, in the spring of 2023, he was hired as a contract worker to produce content for the party’s political commission, currently headed by Karim Elayoubi.
Asked to comment on the situation, the PCQ said it was not aware of the existence of this complaint.
Bitter, the former employee of the party led by Éric Duhaime judges that what happened to him is a symptom of deeper problems. “At the moment, donating to the PCQ is a bit like throwing your money into the fire,” says Samuel Lamarche, affirming that the party has not managed to “professionalize” itself since the last elections. “The party is completely ossified by nepotism and systematic improvisation by the leader and his entourage,” he wrote in the resignation letter he sent to the PCQ.
Mr. Lamarche says he has no intention of returning to the PQ. He is still a member of the PCQ, but says he does not want to renew his card.
){kind=link}