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Quebec cabinet minister Kathleen Weil cited for contempt of the legislature

Quebec cabinet minister Kathleen Weil has been cited for contempt of the legislature for releasing the entire details of a bill to reporters before it was even tabled in the national assembly. Mario Beauregard/The Canadian Press

Quebec cabinet minister Kathleen Weil has been cited for contempt of the legislature for releasing the entire details of a bill to reporters before it was even tabled in the national assembly.

In his decision handed down Tuesday, Speaker Jacques Chagnon ruled Weil violated the right of members of the legislature to be the first people informed of the contents of a bill.

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Both Chagnon and Weil are Liberals.

The matter was initially raised by Parti Québécois member of the legislature Pascal Berube last month after he learned that copies of the bill had been distributed to reporters in a technical briefing.

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Weil took responsibility at the time for what she called a good-faith blunder, but her spokeswoman said Tuesday the minister would not be reacting to Chagnon’s decision.

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A national assembly commission will determine what sanctions Weil will face.

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