The National Assembly is not racist, says QS

Photo: Francis Vachon Le Devoir Solidarity MP Haroun Bouazzi

François Carabin

Published at 16:51 Updated at 18:41

• Québec

The “disagreements” surrounding Haroun Bouazzi’s statement on the “construction of the Other” are “behind” Québec solidaire (QS), Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois said Sunday, after party activists adopted a motion loudly stating that the National Assembly and its members are not racist.

At the end of a convention where Mr. Bouazzi’s remarks on the “construction of the Other” occupied everyone’s minds, delegates supported a resolution Sunday afternoon “firmly” condemning the threats that Mr. Bouazzi has been the target of since this week, but stating unequivocally “that Québec solidaire does not support and has never supported that the National Assembly and its members are racist.”

The Solidaire activists preferred this motion, tabled by the party leadership, to a second proposal tabled by 13 local and national associations the day before so that the party “publicly expresses its support for Haroun Bouazzi's remarks regarding the construction of the Other.”

In recent days, the two spokespersons and several QS MPs had reprimanded Mr. Bouazzi for his controversial remarks. During a speech earlier this month, the Maurice-Richard MP suggested that the prevailing political discourse in the National Assembly fostered intolerance and discrimination.

“Those disagreements are behind us,” said solidarity spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois on Sunday after the vote. “The page has been turned. The debate has been settled by the members.” According to his new colleague as spokesperson, Ruba Ghazal, the party emerged “united.”

“Construction of this Other”

Since Mr. Bouazzi’s comments were made public, several elected members of the National Assembly have asked Québec solidaire to “act” and even consider excluding him from the caucus. The Solidaire member denies ever having said that the elected members of the National Assembly are racist.

During his speech, given before an organization representing the Maghreb community, he said that: “We unfortunately see — and God knows that I see this in the National Assembly every day — the construction of this Other. Of this Other, who is Maghreb, who is Muslim, who is black, who is indigenous, and of his culture which, by definition, would be dangerous or inferior.”

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Solidarity activists had refused on Sunday that the debates on Haroun Bouazzi's remarks be exposed to the public. In the middle of the afternoon, the QS National Coordination Committee submitted a proposal for a media closed session on Sunday afternoon, which was approved by the delegates present. According to the party's communications team, this was done “at the request of the members.”

The discussions surrounding the motions of support and opposition to MP Haroun Bouazzi's speech on racism were therefore held in private. At the end of the debates, the main interested party maintained that the resolution adopted by the members “reaffirms the unity of the party and the caucus.”

The Bouazzi case shakes up the convention

The weekend convention was supposed to mark a turning point for Québec solidaire, which officially elected MNA Ruba Ghazal as spokesperson on Saturday. Several proposals to reform the party's statutes and regulations were also on the agenda.

On Saturday evening, even as discussions around Mr. Bouazzi continued, Ms. Ghazal pleaded for her party to focus more on an “open,” “positive” and “feminist” nationalist stance, without contributing to the rise in tensions over Quebec identity.

“If you are tired of the identity escalation, I tell you, Québec solidaire is your home, you are welcome,” she said in a speech delivered a few moments after she had obtained the support of 91.4% of the delegates gathered at the special convention.

On Saturday afternoon, delegates also adopted a resolution allowing them to adopt affirmative action policies in choosing their electoral candidates. According to “representativeness criteria” set by the members, the party leadership will therefore have the power to prohibit male candidates in certain nomination races.

By adopting this position, the activists have put an end to a reflection of more than a year and a half on the question of parity at Québec solidaire.

This had begun in 2023, at a time when, to ensure better parity in the caucus of members of parliament, the party president had suggested that the candidate in the Jean-Talon by-election in Québec City be a woman.

This call to invest accounting professor Christine Gilbert had not borne fruit, and it was a man, Olivier Bolduc, who had represented the party during the election, after having refused to give up his place. Mr. Bolduc had finally finished third in the by-election.

Then, in November 2023, at a convention in Gatineau, the Solidaire members decided to impose female candidates in all by-elections held between now and the overhaul of the by-laws—which took place this weekend. No vote has been called since then.

The delegates also approved a series of changes to their internal electoral processes this weekend. From now on, the races for spokesperson will lead to the election of a “leader within the meaning of the Election Act,” which will allow the party to raise funds and fill up its membership.

About a year before the general election, Québec Solidaire members will also elect their candidate for premier by universal suffrage. The person chosen will also become the parliamentary leader of the party, at least until the election.

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