Quebec Liberals huddle after party unrest
MNAs hold out-of-the-ordinary meeting amid rumours of dissent
Members of the Quebec Liberal caucus arrived at a special meeting on Monday evening, calling it a "bonding session" despite rumours of internal discord.
The Liberal MNAs gathered at an exclusive hotel just outside Quebec City. The political staff of the premier, ministers and backbenchers were not invited.
Such meetings among caucus members are by themselves not out of ordinary, but are normally held ahead of a legislative session — rarely in the middle of one.
"It's a friendly meeting," said Richard Merlini, the MNA for La La Prairie. "[It is] a chance ... to talk among us."
Ides of May?
Coalition Avenir Québec had speculated last week that there was a movement afoot within the caucus to challenge Premier Philippe Couillard's leadership.
That suggestion was rejected out-of-hand by the premier over the weekend.
Liberal MNAs sought to downplay any suggestion of internal unrest as they arrived at the meeting.
However, after a difficult few weeks for the government, many also acknowledged they could use the chance to recalibrate ahead of what promises to be an intense two weeks of legislative activity.
Among the key items on the government's legislative agenda is passing its controversial reforms to provincial taxi laws, the so-called Uber bill.
The bill, which proposes strict limits on how ride-hailing services operate in Quebec, upset party members.
They passed a motion at a recent convention calling on the government to be more open to the sharing economy.
'Room for improvement'
"There's always room for improvement and I think that's what we're going to be talking about," said deputy house leader Gerry Sklavounos.
"We want to take the opportunity to do it in a relaxed setting."
MNA Patrick Huot described it as a "bonding session."
"We have questions to ask ourselves about how better we can communicate our message," he said.
Besides Uber, the government is also dealing with allegations it dragged its feet on an inquiry into irregularities in the Transport Department.
And on Thursday, the auditor general will release the results of his investigation into former cabinet minister Sam Hamad's dealings with a company linked to a Liberal fundraiser now facing criminal charges.
With files from Ryan Hicks