Two Liberal MNAs stripped of their roles after social media squabble

Two Liberal MNAs have been demoted as party critics following a public quarrel on social media Wednesday.

Marie Montpetit is no longer in the Liberal shadow cabinet as Health Critic, a role party leader Dominique Anglade will now undertake.

Gaétan Barrette, who was once Health Minister in the Couillard government, lost his responsibilities as Treasury Council Critic and as critic for Intergovernmental Relations, portfolios which will be split between MNAs Carlos Leitao and David Birnbaum respectively.

Barrette was also responsible for government administration, ethics, digital transformation and integrity of public procurement. However, the Quebec Liberal Party did not specify who would be overseeing those files.

Montpetit had called out Barrette on Twitter for a post he made criticizing Louis Godin, the president of the Fédération des médecins omnipraticiens du Québec (FMOQ), saying that he has spoken the same words in interviews from 2015.

She said Barette's comments were "unproductive" and compared them to Premier François Legault's threats to family doctors.

According to Radio-Canada, Anglade held a special caucus on Thursday afternoon to ensure internal rifts stay within the party.

Anglade also said she expected unwavering solidarity among her MNAs and strongly urged her party spokespersons to focus on portfolios that belong to them.