QUEBEC - The outgoing leader of the Action democratique du Quebec says a conspiracy hatched between the federal Tories and influential members of his own party ultimately led to the demise of his leadership.

In a scathing open letter, Gilles Taillon wrote Wednesday that his decision to sever ties with the federal Conservatives and create an autonomous provincial party prompted a harsh response from the party's old guard, including former leader Mario Dumont.

Taillon wrote it wasn't a secret that after he entered the leadership race, he announced he would seek to create some distance between the provincial party and federal players.

Taillon said he met with Conservative Sen. Leo Housakos, a key player in both federal and provincial politics, and that he told him the tiny ADQ would be cutting ties with the Tories.

Housakos, a key organizer for the Conservatives in Quebec, was also the ADQ's chief fundraiser from 2001 until 2008 and was considered the bridge between the two political organizations.

"I clearly told Sen. Housakos that I had nothing against Conservatives or Housakos himself," Taillon wrote.

"But I also told him that if I ultimately became leader, the ADQ would work only for Quebec and without any attachment to any of the federal parties."

Taillon suggested that meeting was the beginning of a putsch, in which the Tories and former ADQ leader Mario Dumont worked to orchestrate his ouster.

"I understand today, with the public comments of the former 'owners' of the party, with Mario Dumont at the helm, that my election to the ADQ leadership for these people signalled an end to this 'untouchable alliance,"'Taillon wrote.

"From that point, Gilles Taillon could no longer be leader of the ADQ, despite being the democratic choice of party members."

Taillon also fingered former ADQ member Eric Caire and the man Dumont has touted as the next leader, Gerard Deltell, as being in on the conspiracy.

But Dumont was quick to reject any notion of a plot. On his nightly television talk show, the former party leader raised his eyebrows dismissively and smiled when discussing Taillon's letter.

"It's understandable - this man is dealing with a personal failure, and it's difficult," Dumont said.

"It's understandable from a professional standpoint: he built a brilliant career, and he's dealing with a difficult failure this week. I don't think that's any reason to be casting about for such a meticulously orchestrated plot."

A spokesman for the Tories also played down any ties between the two political outfits.

He said the Tories actually want to maintain their own separate organization, to avoid a repeat of the woes suffered by the federal Tories when they borrowed - and then lost control of - the organizational machines of provincial parties in the 1980s.

"The Conservatives have always had the objective of building a party where its members, its volunteers and the people on the ground think of themselves as Conservatives first," Dimitri Soudas said in an e-mail.

"The bottom line is it's important for us to build a Conservative party."

Members of Taillon's caucus had begun abandoning the party until Tuesday when, just 23 days into his leadership, he agreed to quit.

Caire and Marc Picard quit the party last week, reducing the ADQ caucus to just four seats in the 125-member national assembly, and there were musings about further departures.

Taillon said he realized on Tuesday that only his resignation would end what he described as an "orchestrated quarrel."

Without going into detail, Taillon also referred again to troubling financial irregularities in the party's books that he said he plans to report to provincial police.

-With files from Marie Vastel in Ottawa.

Top 10 most read stories