Quebec had to send two senior officials to New York to shed light on André Boisclair’s questionable behavior at the official residence of the delegation, before relieving him of his duties.
In the fall of 2013, the government deployed heavy cavalry to New York in an attempt to settle a growing moral conflict between Delegate General André Boisclair and the housekeeper of the delegation’s official residence.
The housekeeper complained mostly about the mess left in the house after busy evenings and how the steward treated her, according to our sources.
Other people, however, told our Investigation Office that the complaint also concerned drug use and the presence of young people in the residence.
The director of human resources at the Ministry of International Relations (MRI) at the time, Anouk Gagné, was dispatched to the Big Apple to interview employees, accompanied by Assistant Deputy Minister Jean-Stéphane Bernard.
The former leader of the Parti Québécois, André Boisclair, had been warned of the visit of the two senior officials.
After these meetings, the government of Pauline Marois gave two options to the delegate: “Either we do a more in-depth investigation, with all that can mean, or you repatriate”, tells on condition of anonymity a political source having played an important role in the events.
On Friday September 27, 2013, he was relieved of his duties “at his request”, according to the government.
The following Monday at a press conference, he said he was coming back to Quebec to defend his reputation against the attacks of Jacques Duchesneau. At the time, the former police officer made a splash by publicly linking André Boisclair’s cocaine use to a contract he had awarded as Minister of Municipal Affairs to the infiltrated masonry company LM Sauvé. by a Hells Angels.
According to our sources, who want to remain anonymous, the complaints of the cleaning lady did not concern anything criminal.
“But we told Mr. Boisclair that the house was used to receive the world as part of his duties, not to party”, says our source in the government of Pauline Marois.
Recall that our Investigation Office revealed this week that Quebec had to pick up the pieces and enter into a confidential agreement with André Boisclair after a complaint concerning the use of drugs and the presence of young people in his entourage while he was a delegate. general in New York.
The legal services of the Government of Quebec handled this case and a confidential agreement was reached with Mr. Boisclair, who was delegated only from 2012 to 2013.
The existence of a complaint against Mr. Boisclair had been communicated to the entourage of the then Prime Minister, Pauline Marois, who had appointed him to New York.
According to our information, the housekeeper had complained verbally to the management of the General Delegation of Quebec in New York about the sexual mores of André Boisclair inside his room at the official residence.
However, Mr. Boisclair was unable to manage the conflict with his housekeeper, which forced the MRI to intervene.
In light of the interviews carried out in New York with the employees, the civil servants would have informed the deputy minister of the MRI Michel Audet that it was about a conflict of values between André Boisclair and his governess.
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