Controversial PQ candidate wrote 'mon petit negre' in deleted tweet

CTV Montreal: PQ candidate’s tweets PQ candidate Michelle Blanc has to answer for two tweets: one using the word ‘negre’ and another calling a blogger a ‘pedophile.’

A PQ candidate who was already threatened with a lawsuit for referring to a Quebec blogger as a ‘pedophile,’ has more questionable behaviour online.

Michelle Blanc, running in the Plateau-area Mercier riding confirmed to CTV Montreal that she used the expression ‘mon petit negre’ in a tweet deleted months ago.

Blanc, who is transgender, complained to Bell that a customer service agent called her 'monsieur' because of her 'masculine voice.'

She said "his voice is African and I didn't refer to you as 'mon petit negre' (or 'my little negro')."

When asked about the tweet, Blanc admitted to writing it, and said she resolved the matter with Bell.

Blanc came under fire earlier on Thursday after for claiming blogger and Cegep professor Xavier Camus "likes 15-year-old girls."

Blanc has since apologized for the tweet about Camus, who sent the PQ a cease-and-desist letter and demanded Blanc issue a retraction. Camus later said he would abandon any legal proceedings.

The tweets surfaced one day after Parti Quebecois leader Jean-Francois Lisee distanced himself from a PQ candidate whose anti-Islamic social media postings recently surfaced.

That candidate was the former Drummond-Bois-Franc hopeful Pierre Marcotte, whose social media postings – including calling Muslims ‘beasts’ and saying Islam should be banned ‘like we ban pit bulls’ – were brought to light by Camus.

Lisee is standing by Blanc, saying she is someone who is often bullied on social media.

"I think the tweets were unacceptable and so they were taken out and she presented her apology today. I think that’s what needs to be done when you attempt to (harm) the reputation of someone else, if that someone feels that way. And I think that was a legitimate response. Of course Mr. Camus has written things about Ms. Blanc that she could believe is an attempt to (harm) her reputation, but she is a candidate, and she should show more restraint, that’s what we said. Now that she retracted herself, I think she did the right thing," he said in reference to the Camus tweets.

At a meeting of PQ supporters in east-end Montreal Thursday night, Lisee said of Blanc's tweet containing the term 'negre' that she was a private citizen when she wrote it and while he’s not comfortable with the term, he said a person can’t be held accountable for all their remarks online forever.

Blanc took to social media herself on Thursday evening, saying "I know what it is to be attacked unfairly and personally on social networks, which should have made me even more vigilant and cautious. I blame myself! I invite all Internet users from all parties to learn a great lesson."

She continued by writing: "On the web as in life, one can defend their ideas with force and passion, but moderation must prevail over people."

Blanc is a web consultant who wrote the book about social media subtitled: "How to listen, chat and interact on social media."