Marwah Rizqy says former chief of staff tried to circumvent National Assembly rules
Posted February 2, 2026 4:14 pm.
Last Updated February 2, 2026 4:16 pm.
The former chief of staff of the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ), Geneviève Hinse, tried to circumvent the rules of the National Assembly to favour then leader Pablo Rodriguez, according to MNA Marwah Rizqy
Rizqy, who is being sued by Hinse for $500,000 in Superior Court for her Nov. 17 dismissal, which Hinse deemed illegal.
It was this whole affair and its twists and turns that led to the resignation in December of Rodriguez, who had only been elected leader of the PLQ in June.
After his victory, Rodriguez, who did not sit in the National Assembly, appointed Rizqy as parliamentary leader and Hinse, a long-time collaborator of Rodriguez when he was a minister in Ottawa, as chief of staff.
But relations between the two women soured. Rizqy then fired Hinse, and Rodriguez retaliated by expelling Rizqy from the caucus. She still sits as an independent.
In Rizqy’s statement of defence, a copy of which was obtained by The Canadian Press on Monday, Rizqy argues that, despite her warnings, Hinse and Rodriguez wanted to violate National Assembly rules by hiring staff paid by the National Assembly for “partisan purposes.”
Rizqy refers in particular to a meeting with Hinse on Oct. 16. Hinse mentioned a “series of positions to be filled, with salaries paid by the National Assembly,” but she intended to “use these new resources to meet the needs of Mr. Rodriguez,” even though he was not an elected official.
Rizqy reportedly responded that the rules were clear, that this was not permitted, and that these staff members would have to be paid with PLQ party resources.
Rizqy also refers to an email from Hinse proposing to “falsely assign duties to employees on paper to link them to an elected official, when in reality they would be working for Rodriguez.”
Similarly, on Nov. 6, Rodriguez allegedly wanted two special advisors to be hired using National Assembly funds to respond to the Parti Québécois’ Blue Book. Rizqy reportedly replied that this was partisan work and that the PLQ should pay them with its own funds.
It should be noted that Rizqy’s allegations have not yet been proven in court. The case will be heard at a later date.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
