Authenticity of texts suggesting money given to support Rodriguez to be Quebec Liberal leader questioned

In an article published by LaPresse on Tuesday, it has been revealed that UPAC, Quebec’s anti corruption unit, has been unable to verify the authenticity of the text messages that were published in the Journal de Montréal last November that suggested that Quebec Liberal Party members who supported Pablo Rodriguez during the 2025 leadership race were rewarded with money, notably a one-hundred dollar bill referred to in one of the texts as a “brownie”.

Rodriguez would later resign as Quebec Liberal Party leader in December of last year in the wake of these allegations.

“To say that these were just doctored, photoshopped, to embarrass, to plant the seed of doubt, that’s somebody going through quite a bit of trouble,” said Karim Boulos, a political analyst.

“If UPAC can’t find it with all the access to technology and access, the power that they wield as well to be able to download logs and records of phone calls, text messages, and emails. And even with all that access, if they can’t find the source, then I think it would be a reasonable assumption, a safe, reasonable assumption, to think that these didn’t really exist. These were falsified.” 

In a statement to CityNews, UPAC says that they are still investigating allegations surrounding the process of the 2025 leadership race for the Quebec Liberal Party and will not be releasing any details about it that include any information about the text messages. 

“Who do you trust? Now the media, the Liberal Party, you know, who’s lying, who’s not, you know, that’s the issue here,” said Antonio Cardillo, a Montrealer CityNews spoke to.

Jean Paul Lévesque, another Montrealer CityNews spoke to, said, “If it’s true that it was false, it means that there were people who were afraid of the new leader and they wanted to make sure that they could resign.”

While Suzanne said, “Well, first of all, I think they have to make sure that before they go accusing people that they’ve vetted the truth, if in fact they have, and that they do, they have sources that are real.”

So far, the Journal de Montreal has not revealed the sources of the text messages, but explained in their article that they were from two people actively working to elect Rodriguez as leader in 2025.

In a written response to CityNews, Dany Doucet, the editor for the Journal de Montreal, says that they have never received any communication from UPAC and that they will continue to protect their journalistic sources, if necessary.

Doucet added that the text messages came from reliable sources and that their journalistic approach is irreproachable.

Regardless of the authenticity of the text messages, vote buying in leadership races was legal at the time in Quebec. The Quebec government has since changed the electoral laws, banning it.

“There was no mechanism for preventing people from buying their way into positions of power within a party. It’s surprising. And I think it casts a doubt more on the political system than it does, specifically on the Liberal Party,” said Boulos.

The Parti Québécois is also urging the anti-corruption police to release the results of its investigation into alleged Liberal party fundraising irregularities before the October general election.

PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon says releasing that information would help maintain the public’s trust in the anti-corruption police force.

-With files from the Canadian Press