NDP candidate defends herself against smear campaign

Françoise Boivin, NDP candidate for Gatineau, has defended allegations made by the Montreal newspaper Le Devoir.

The newspaper alleged that Boivin hired her same-sex partner to work in her offices during her time as Liberal representative for Gatineau – a breach of parliamentary rules. Boivin insists the person wasn’t her partner, just her roommate.

Boivin has stated before that she left the Liberal Party for philosophical reasons.

Boivin is running a strong campaign against incumbent Bloc Québécois candidate Richard Nadeau and Liberal Steve MacKinnon. A statement on Boivin’s website says the allegations are part of “a smear campaign attacking her integrity since her campaign in Gatineau is going very well.”