Québec solidaire continues to hold private discussions on Haroun Bouazzi

Photo: Christinne Muschi The Canadian Press Québec solidaire MNA Ruba Ghazal, left, watches party leader Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois address the media in Montreal, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024.

Caroline Plante – The Canadian Press

Published at 1:15 p.m.

• Québec

The comments of Maurice-Richard Solidarity MP Haroun Bouazzi on alleged racism in the National Assembly continue to cause unease within his party.

Discussions are ongoing, both in the caucus and with Mr. Bouazzi, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois and Ruba Ghazal confirmed at a press briefing on Saturday morning.

They did not specify the nature of these discussions, nor whether the objective was to force him to apologize or exclude him from the caucus.

“At the moment, we are having internal discussions with Mr. Bouazzi about his statements,” Ms. Ghazal was limited to saying.

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“We still take note of the reactions and comments that followed the broadcast of Haroun's speech. This is being discussed internally […] and it is private,” added Mr. Nadeau-Dubois.

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• Haroun Bouazzi does not apologize for his remarks on racism

Last week, before the Fondation Club Avenir, Mr. Bouazzi said that the speech in the National Assembly contributed to the construction of “this Other […] and its culture which, by definition, would be dangerous or inferior.”

He was publicly rebuked by Mr. Nadeau-Dubois and Ms. Ghazal, who found these remarks “clumsy and exaggerated”, but still decided to add more the next day in an interview with Radio-Canada.

He specifically targeted the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) and the Parti québécois (PQ).

On Friday evening, as the virtual convention of Québec solidaire (QS) opened, Mr. Nadeau-Dubois called for calm, saying that Mr. Bouazzi had been bombarded with hateful messages.

New co-spokesperson

QS delegates are meeting in a special convention this weekend to elect Ruba Ghazal as female co-spokesperson and review the party's statutes.

According to Mr. Nadeau-Dubois, the aim is to continue the “modernization” of the party. He described the exercise as “a tune-up of our campaign machine” ahead of the 2026 general election.

The proposed changes run to 81 pages.

For example, the aim is to increase the power of members by allowing the election of co-spokespersons by universal suffrage and internal referendums.

QS also wants to make one of the spokespeople the party leader within the meaning of the electoral law. Currently, the secretary general is the leader, administratively speaking.

This change would allow compliance with the requirements of the Directeur général des élections du Québec (DGEQ) for holding a leadership campaign.

The convention continues until Sunday.