The National Assembly unanimously passed Bill 14 on Thursday, banning vote-buying in leadership races and closing a loophole in Quebec’s electoral law. Last month, the Journal de Montréal published text messages suggesting that money, or ‘brownies,’ had been offered to encourage people to vote for Pablo Rodriguez during the Quebec Liberal Party’s leadership race. The Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) has since launched an internal investigation to clarify the allegations. In a surprising twist, Élections Québec had previously said that “in the context of a leadership race, the Election Act does not set out an offence that would prohibit someone from offering a donation in exchange for a vote.” That meant the practice was allowed, provided that all candidate expenses were included in a report submitted to Quebec’s chief electoral officer. Given that information, it had became “obvious” that legislation was needed, said Jean-François Roberge, the minister responsible for democratic institutions, when he tabled the bill last week. “When we saw (...) the famous PLQ ‘brownies,’ it was clear that action had to be taken. We were agile and quick, and I am happy to close this loophole,’ he said. The new law also governs mayoral races and nomination contests in ridings. It sets fines of $5,000 to $20,000 for a first offence, rising to $10,000 to $30,000 for a repeat offence within 10 years. Quebec already prohibits offering money in exchange for votes during general or by-elections. On Thursday, when the vote was held, Roberge received support from all parties represented in the National Assembly. All had previously stated they were in favour of banning “brownies.” Bill 14 was adopted quickly, without the usual consultations. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Dec. 11, 2025.
