Drummondville, Que., mayoral candidate targeted by fake Elections Quebec letters

Drummondville mayoral campaigner David Bélanger says he's the people of a disinformation run aimed astatine casting uncertainty connected his candidacy's legality, Radio-Canada is reporting.

His run released a connection denouncing the "deceptive and co-ordinated actions aimed astatine undermining his civic engagement."

Radio-Canada obtained documents bearing the Elections Quebec letterhead and the main electoral officer's signature, which were mailed to Bélanger astatine his workplace, the Office d'habitation Centre-du-Québec.

They suggest that Bélanger's candidacy is the taxable of respective complaints and that the main electoral serviceman opened an probe into him led by idiosyncratic named Martin Jacob.

The letters besides telephone connected Bélanger to resign from his relation astatine the Office d'habitation and publically denote that helium is withdrawing from the race.

A transcript of 1 of the letters was sent to the president of the Office d'habitation Centre-du-Québec.

Bélanger's run manager, Dominique Martin, said successful an interrogation connected Radio-Canada's Toujours le matin that the contented of the letters is simply a "little incoherent, not to accidental bizarre."

Bélanger's run and Radio-Canada contacted Elections Quebec, which confirmed that the letters were forged and had not been sent by the organization.

"What's appalling astir this full communicative is that, successful my opinion, it's transgression to forge the signature of the main electoral officer," Martin said.

Bélanger and his run were notified successful April of a idiosyncratic posing arsenic an Elections Quebec researcher who had been calling the heads of organizations successful the regions arsenic good arsenic radical adjacent to the candidate.

The idiosyncratic alleged that Bélanger's candidacy was invalid due to the fact that of his employment, according to the idiosyncratic who informed Bélanger of the calls.

The expected researcher allegedly near Bélanger a dependable message, making the aforesaid claims, which is however the run squad recovered out.

"We recovered that suspicious due to the fact that successful Mr. Bélanger record with the DGEQ [Elections Quebec], his campaigner file, it's his compartment telephone fig that is listed officially," Martin said. "So wherefore would the idiosyncratic permission a connection connected his enactment voicemail?"

Martin said the run has nary inkling of who mightiness beryllium down the communications.

"It could beryllium anyone. Are they radical who privation to tally for mayor? Are they radical who person a idiosyncratic grudge against Mr. Bélanger? The database could beryllium very, precise broad," Martin added.

Evidence sent to UPAC

In a quality release, Bélanger's run said that "all elements related to this fraudulent cognition person been transmitted to the due authorities for a afloat investigation."

The lawsuit has been transferred to Quebec's anti-corruption portion (UPAC).

Martin said Bélanger isn't allowing himself to beryllium distracted by the controversy, but the campaigner is inactive "a small disappointed" due to the fact that helium has been saying helium wants to tally a cleanable campaign.

Elections Quebec said successful an email that "identity theft is simply a superior offence and we person forwarded the accusation to the due authorities."

It would not remark further owed to immoderate imaginable investigations