Harold LeBel
Harold LeBel | |
|---|---|
| Member of the National Assembly of Quebec for Rimouski | |
| In office April 7, 2014 – August 28, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Irvin Pelletier |
| Succeeded by | Maïté Blanchette Vézina |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 22, 1962 Squatec, Quebec, Canada |
| Political party | Independent |
| Other political affiliations | Parti Québécois (2014-2020) |
| Residence(s) | Rimouski, Quebec |
Harold LeBel (French pronunciation: [a.ʁɔld lə.bɛl]; born June 22, 1962) is a former Canadian politician and convicted sex offender in Quebec, who was elected to the National Assembly of Quebec in the 2014 election. He represented the electoral district of Rimouski as a member of the Parti Québécois.
He was a candidate for the party three times previously, running in Rivière-du-Loup in the 1989 election and the 1994 election, and in Kamouraska-Témiscouata in the 2003 election.
On December 15, 2020, he was arrested following allegations of sexual assault against Catherine Fournier, a former member of the National Assembly and current mayor of Longueuil, dating back to 2017. He was released later that day, and subsequently expelled from the PQ caucus, pending further investigations.
LeBel was found guilty on November 23, 2022 of sexually assaulting Fournier at his residence in 2017.
On January 26, 2023, at the courthouse of Rimouski, he was sentenced to eight months of imprisonment.
On March 21, 2023, after expressing remorse for his crime during therapies in prison, LeBel was granted parole.