The Liberal Party of Quebec will pay an annual salary of a little more than $230,000 to its new leader, Charles Milliard, until his election as MP, we have learned The Journal.
This is the same amount that his predecessor, Pablo Rodriguez, earned before resigning at the end of December in the wake of the crisis that shook the Liberal Party of Quebec. The former federal minister was not an elected member of the Quebec Parliament either.
This remuneration is approximately equivalent to that of the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, if we calculate the allowances granted to deputies. Liberal André Fortin, who leads the Red team in the House, collects $247,844 annually.
For comparison, the salary granted by the Parti Québécois to its leader, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, before his election in 2022, was $128,000.
Éric Duhaime, who has not yet succeeded in entering the National Assembly, receives $130,000 per year at the head of the Conservative Party of Quebec.
During her brief stint as co-spokesperson for Québec solidaire, Émilise Lessard-Therrien, who was no longer an MP, earned $82,000.
Couillard and Charest
Paying a salary to an unelected leader is not a new practice in the PLQ. In the past, Philippe Couillard was also able to benefit from remuneration before becoming a member of parliament and Prime Minister of Quebec.
Even Jean Charest was entitled to a salary of $75,000 per year, in addition to his emoluments as prime minister, until 2010. This double remuneration, which had sowed controversy at the time, ended when the code of ethics for deputies of the National Assembly came into force.
From now on, an elected official cannot receive a salary or other benefit from his political party.
Limousine and bodyguard
Note that since his coronation as the new Liberal captain, Charles Milliard has also inherited the limousine and the bodyguard that come with the role of leader of a political party recognized in Parliament.
