Marwah Rizqy to leave politics at the end of his term

Photo: Screenshot National Assembly Liberal MNA for Saint-Laurent Marwah Rizqy says she is closing the door on politics for “at least the next 15 years,” while her sons get older and in school.

“With a heavy heart,” Liberal MNA Marwah Rizqy announced Tuesday that she is leaving politics at the end of her current term, and her decision could trigger a modernization of practices in the National Assembly.

“Today, I am not announcing my resignation. I am simply announcing that I will not return in 2026, because I, personally, cannot manage to do everything,” she told reporters, moved to tears. “I know some people might be surprised, I know I might disappoint people, but I don't want to disappoint my boys,” she added.

First elected in Saint-Laurent on October 1, 2018, Ms. Rizqy has since married fellow Liberal MP Greg Kelley. The couple has welcomed two children: Gabriel is now 23 months old and Abraham, three months old.

The birth of her second son was the culmination of several months of reflection, the elected official explained. “I want to be in the same city [as my sons] every night to put them to bed,” she said.

Photo: Jacques Boissinot The Canadian Press Marwah Rizqy and her partner, Gregory Kelley, also a Liberal MP, hold their son Gabriel in their arms on June 9, 2023, at the National Assembly.

His decision prompted the government’s parliamentary leader and Minister of Justice, Simon Jolin-Barrette, to propose the creation of a formal parental leave for elected officials. “All people who have children in Quebec are entitled to a year [of leave]. I think that if we want to attract people to Quebec politics, it has to be at least the equivalent,” the MNA said.

Until 2022, elected officials who took time off when a child was born risked being called to order by the Ethics and Professional Conduct Commissioner. This anomaly has been corrected, but MNAs remain ineligible for the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan.

A father of two young children himself, Mr. Jolin-Barrette also put forward his proposal to introduce remote voting in the National Assembly. “We need to modernize our institution,” he argued. “Marwah is a quality, intelligent, hard-working person. It really saddens me that she’s leaving [politics] and I understand her choice because it’s hard, when you’re a young parent, to reconcile all that. Not putting your children to bed at night is heartbreaking,” he said. “She was a formidable parliamentarian, and all Quebecers are the losers.” »

In mourning for a passion

Mrs. Rizqy said she was closing the door on political life for “at least the next 15 years,” the time it takes for her sons to get older and in school. “For those who speculate: the city hall is a no. For those who speculate: the federal government is a no. I'm going home,” she assured.

She added that her husband had offered to step down as an MNA so she could keep hers. The elected official, whose work was unanimously praised by her peers on Tuesday, preferred to contact the Université de Sherbrooke, where she plans to resume her position as an associate professor in the Department of Taxation. Her husband, meanwhile, plans to run for re-election in 2026.

Until then, “I’m going to try to do my best to finish [my term],” she said. She decided to announce her departure so early because she didn’t want the future leader of the Quebec Liberal Party, who is set to be elected in June 2025, to have to deal with this situation, she explained.

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“If I hadn’t had kids, I would have had a very different answer for leadership,” she said. Marwah Rizqy and Greg Kelley’s journey to parenthood has been a difficult one, with the couple having to resort to in vitro fertilization treatments 60~/i>. “I wanted to have these kids so badly, I want to raise them myself,” the MP and mother said.

In tears, she admitted having to mourn one passion — politics — to devote herself to another: her family. “I wish I could have everything. I can’t,” she lamented. Ms. Rizqy recalled having “lugged” her first child, Gabriel, from Montreal to Quebec City every week that the National Assembly was sitting. In December 2022, the couple made history in Parliament when Mr. Kelley stood up in the chamber with his son nestled against his chest in a baby carrier.

A feminist and career woman, Marwah Rizqy wanted to tell women that politics and family “can be done.” But “it requires a lot, a lot of organization” and it is most often conjugated “in the imperfect,” she stressed.

The MP has previously opened up about her childhood, marked by violence from her father. Her mother, an immigrant woman from Morocco who was “illiterate” and “without money,” had four children and managed to learn French, she has also previously recounted. “I managed to be elected despite…” she let slip, referring to her family history. Just the fact of having been elected, for me, is a great accomplishment.”

Concert of praise for a flamboyant elected official

The announcement of Marwah Rizqy’s upcoming departure sparked a chorus of praise Tuesday from elected officials from all political parties, who praised his intelligence and pugnacity, but also his spirit of camaraderie.

“For anyone who has seen their cause supported and defended by you, nothing is more reassuring and encouraging. You will have left a tangible and positive mark on Quebec politics. […] Thank you for changing Quebec in your own way with your frankness, your energy and your unifying ideas,” reacted the interim leader of the Quebec Liberal Party, Marc Tanguay.

Moved, her colleague Madwa-Nika Cadet said that Ms. Rizqy is “a bit like the Wayne Gretzky” of the Liberal caucus. She said she is wondering, with her colleagues from all parties, about the possibility of allowing elected women to take maternity leave in due form. “There will always be more to do” so that women can flourish as elected officials and mothers, she added.

From France, Prime Minister François Legault acknowledged that we must “always do more for work-life balance” in the National Assembly. “I have a lot of respect for Marwah Rizqy’s decision, it takes courage,” he also wrote on the X network. “Politics is demanding in all spheres of our lives. Sometimes we have to make heartbreaking decisions.” I would like to take this opportunity to thank her for her commitment to Quebec. I wish her much happiness with her family.”

Minister Bernard Drainville also praised the work of his colleague, who is the official opposition’s education critic. “I really have a lot of esteem and respect for her, and I congratulate her for choosing her family and her children. It’s only a matter of time,” said the elected official, who believes that Quebec will see Ms. Rizqy in a public role again one day. The father of three children recalled that “when you choose politics, it’s the whole family that chooses politics.”

“I have seen you at work and you have always stood out for your work ethic, your authenticity and your passion for making a difference in people’s lives. Very moved when I read the passage about your mother,” also wrote MNA Ruba Ghazal, from Québec solidaire. In a post on social media, Ms. Rizqy spoke of her mother’s pride when her daughter was sworn in as an MNA in 2018.

“There are politicians, and in this case, female politicians, who inspire beyond their political affiliation. I have always had a lot of respect and esteem for Marwah and her work.” […] Combining family and political commitment is no easy feat, especially when you do it with as much sincerity and intensity as Marwah Rizqy, responded Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon. Having seen you over the past few years, Marwah, I am convinced that you are already and will remain an incredible mother, full of courage and determination.”

“Quebecers want quality people in the National Assembly. That’s what you are, Marwah Rizqy,” also wrote PQ MNA Pascal Paradis.

From Montreal, Mayor Valérie Plante sent a message of solidarity to the Liberal MP. “Dear Marwah, my heart sank when I learned of your decision not to run again in 2026. Politics is a wonderful vocation, but it requires an immense dedication. I hope you can rediscover these precious moments with your family. Have a good end to your term, and may the future bring you what you desire!” she wrote on the social network X.