Opposition parties accuse Premier Fréchette of being on a ‘witch hunt’

The Quebec government has ordered the anti-corruption squad (UPAQ) to chase down a whistleblower.

Opposition parties in Quebec City have denounced a “witch hunt” by Premier Christine Fréchette following the dismissal of a civil servant.

Radio-Canada published an article Thursday morning in which Olivier Smith-Lauzon recounts losing his job after providing information to the public broadcaster regarding funds invested in companies such as Northvolt and Nemaska Lithium.

The issue came up in the National Assembly.

“What can we take away from today? It’s Ms. Fréchette’s leadership style. It’s a witch hunt,” said Monsef Derraji, the Liberal MNA for Nelligan, at a news briefing on Thursday.

In a damning report released Wednesday, Quebec’s Auditor General (VGQ), Christine Roy, criticized the CAQ government’s investments in the battery sector, stating they were “poorly planned.” She added that “significant risks” were not “sufficiently considered.”

“Yesterday’s VGQ report is devastating for the government. A shameless waste of public money in the battery sector with a botched job ... So, kudos to the whistleblowers. We thank them,“ said Quebec solidaire (QS) member Alexandre Leduc.

The Parti Québécois echoed this sentiment, stating that ”the government is hunting down whistleblowers."

“How can the premier justify that her priority, when billions of dollars are being squandered and going up in smoke, is to call the police to find out who the whistleblower was?” asked PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon.

UPAC investigation

The Radio-Canada article also mentions an investigation by the Permanent Anti-Corruption Unit (UPAC) regarding the leak of a document sent to the Quebec Liberal Party. It specifies that Smith-Lauzon was not the source of this leak.

On Dec. 10, 2025, Derraji displayed the document during an online press briefing. However, this video was subsequently removed from the National Assembly’s website at the government’s request.

The government was also bombarded with questions on the subject by the opposition in the Red Room on Thursday. The premier defended herself by stating that Derraji had made public “information that created a very delicate and problematic situation for several companies vis-à-vis their competitors.”

“It could even have led to insider trading, because some of these companies are publicly traded,” explained Fréchette.

She added that Derraji agreed to have the video removed.

“I thank him for his cooperation.”

The premier also said that it was the Deputy Minister of the Economy who had contacted the UPAC, “considering that this sensitive data had been made public.”

When contacted by The Canadian Press regarding the removal of the video, the National Assembly stated that it had received the government’s request and had agreed “after obtaining the member’s consent.” It added that it is not required to “disclose the reasons given” for the removal.

“Unlike remarks made in the legislature or in parliamentary committees, comments made by parliamentarians during press briefings are not covered by the parliamentary privilege of freedom of speech,” added assembly spokesperson Béatrice Zacharie.

For his part, Derraji stated that he had not received a call from the National Assembly.

“When I received the call from Ms. Christine Fréchette, the video had already been removed.”

He said he was contacted by the UPAC in May.

In an email to The Canadian Press, the UPAC stated that, in this specific case, it had “received reports from civil servants as early as mid-November.”

“After analyzing the allegations brought to our attention, we decided to launch an investigation. As such, no one can order UPAC to conduct a police investigation. UPAC and its commissioner have clear independence under the laws that govern them to act in this manner,” added spokesperson Mathieu Galarneau.

‘Dangerous precedent’

During question period, former Liberal MNA—now an independent—Marwah Rizqy urged the government to repost the video on the National Assembly’s website and to blur out sensitive information.

Rizqy did not speak with Derraji or Liberal parliamentary leader André Fortin—who also appears in the removed video—before making her remarks.

“I am doing this on behalf of all elected officials. I believe it sets a dangerous precedent to remove a part of history, a part of our democracy, and a part of our debates,” she explained.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 11, 2026.