Marc Tanguay will tighten the screws on dissident PLQ elected officials

Photo: Francis Vachon Le Devoir Marc Tanguay assured that his leadership was not called into question by this story.

Thomas Laberge – The Canadian Press in Quebec

Posted yesterday at 3:42 PM Updated yesterday at 4:15 PM

• Québec

Visibly irritated by the dissent within his caucus on the issue of funding religious schools, interim Liberal leader Marc Tanguay assured that he would have discussions with the elected officials who had stepped out of line, without giving further details.

“Under no circumstances should caucus discussions end up in the public arena,” he said at a press briefing Tuesday at the National Assembly.

Last week, during a debate on a Parti Québécois (PQ) motion calling for an end to funding for denominational schools, Liberal MP Marwah Rizqy said her party's position had just changed. “We now believe that we must stop funding religious schools in Quebec,” she said.

200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000

Since this about-face on a historic position of the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ), three caucus members — Frédéric Beauchemin (Marguerite-Bourgeoys), Désirée McGraw (Notre-Dame-de-Grâce) and Elisabeth Prass (D’Arcy-McGee) — have publicly broken party line, stating that they were in favour of maintaining funding for religious schools.

“There will be internal discussions to that effect,” assured the interim Liberal leader, refusing to provide more information on the content of these conversations.

“I reiterate the rule: what happens in caucus, stays in caucus. If we have 157 years in the PLQ, it is because there are many people who have moved to the PLQ and who have respected this rule. “We cannot operate in any other way than by respecting that,” he added.

Marc Tanguay assured that his leadership was not being called into question by this story.

Questioned at the start of question period, Marwah Rizqy did not want to talk about the situation of the Liberal caucus, stating only that his “position has not changed since last week.”

Encountered in the corridors of the National Assembly, Désirée McGraw and Elisabeth Prass refrained from commenting.

On Saturday, the PLQ's Political Committee announced that it was launching a consultation with members on the subject. Its report is due on March 31, 2025.

Liberal MPs contacted by The Canadian Press last Friday said they were comfortable with their party’s new direction, but admitted that the change in position happened quickly and that it would have been better to consult the members.

Read also

• Division grows within the PLQ over the issue of funding religious schools
• Column | Chase the natural out of the PLQ…