Candidate close to the Hells Angels: Geneviève Guilbault seeks opinion of DGE
Posted October 9, 2025 8:27 am.
Municipal Affairs Minister Geneviève Guilbault is seeking the opinion of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) on the eligibility requirements to be imposed on candidates in municipal elections.
Guilbault made this request after Quebecor media revealed that a man claiming to be close to the Hells Angels is running for municipal councillor in the Eastern Townships.
In her letter, the Minister asks the Chief Electoral Officer, Jean-François Blanchet, to consider maintaining a balance between “fundamental rights,” “the challenge of attracting candidates,” and “the integrity of the democratic process.”
“As an expert (…) we would be interested in your observations and, if applicable, your recommendations, including those related to best practices implemented elsewhere,” she wrote.
Although the Minister asserts that democracy remains “the foundation of our social and political cohesion,” she says she is “concerned about the integrity of those who aspire to hold public office.”
She notes that the Act Respecting Elections and Referendums in Municipalities does not allow “action to be taken in the face of this situation” observed in the Eastern Townships and highlighted in the media.
“I am asking for your cooperation in considering the eligibility requirements for municipal elective office,” she wrote to Blanchet.
Currently, the requirements for running for office are: being a Canadian citizen, being 18 years of age or older, and not having committed any electoral wrongdoing.
On Tuesday, the revelations concerning Sylvain Vallée, a member of the Sherbrooke Gypsies, a group affiliated with the Hells Angels, caused a stir in the National Assembly.
Vallée is running for municipal councillor in Cookshire-Eaton, near Sherbrooke.
Public Security Minister Ian Lafrenière stated that, in his opinion, organized crime had become “arrogant.” Bikers are “ruining our lives,” he told the Journal de Québec.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
