Preliminary inquiry in September for ex-PQ leader Boisclair charged with sex assault

MONTREAL — Former Parti Quebecois leader Andre Boisclair will have a preliminary hearing on sex assault charges on Sept. 30.

Boisclair was not present in court today as the inquiry date was set for charges laid in May 2020 of sexual assault with the participation of another person and sexual assault with a weapon.

He pleaded not guilty last July to those charges, which are related to events alleged to have occurred on or around Jan. 8, 2014, in Montreal.

Prosecutor Luc Page told a Quebec court judge the complainant will testify during the inquiry and a video statement will be presented.

Boisclair, PQ leader between 2005-07, was also charged in a separate sexual assault case earlier this year, stemming from events that allegedly occurred in November 2015 involving a different person.

That case will return before a judge on Sept. 30 — the same day as his preliminary inquiry in the other case. Publication bans prohibit the identification of the alleged victims in both cases.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 16, 2021.

The Canadian Press