Québec Solidaire supports MNA after comments on portrayal of minorities at National Assembly

Members of Québec Solidaire (QS) have expressed their support for MNA Haroun Bouazzi in light of criticism following his statements about how certain cultural groups are negatively portrayed by his colleagues at the National Assembly. On Sunday evening, the final day of the party's virtual policy congress, QS members overwhelmingly passed an emergency motion in a closed-door session, marking the culmination of the weekend's discussions on the controversy.

Bouazzi had addressed the Fondation Club Avenir, a community group working with immigrants, last week. During his speech, he remarked: "God knows I see this in the National Assembly every day, the construction of this other, this other who is North African, who is Muslim, who is Black, who is Indigenous and whose culture, by definition, would be dangerous or inferior."

Some MNAs criticized Bouazzi’s remarks, seeing them as an accusation that National Assembly members are racist, with calls for his sanctioning. However, Bouazzi, the MNA for Maurice-Richard in Montreal, has firmly stated that he did not label anyone as racist. He did, however, point out members from the governing Coalition Avenir Québec and the opposition Parti Québécois (PQ), specifically naming Health Minister Christian Dubé and Social Services Minister Lionel Carmant. Bouazzi accused them of scapegoating immigration for issues such as surgery delays and challenges in the youth protection system. Both ministers have denied the claims.

Premier François Legault has frequently attributed the province's housing crisis to the influx of temporary immigrants.

The controversy also overshadowed the introduction of Ruba Ghazal as the newest female spokesperson for QS.

Following the vote, QS co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois stated, "In the end, the party will not demand an apology from Mr. Bouazzi. We are, last time I checked, in a society of free expression."

Earlier in the week, both Nadeau-Dubois and Ghazal had described Bouazzi’s comments as "clumsy," "exaggerated," and "polarizing." Over the weekend, some party members proposed an emergency motion to publicly support Bouazzi, which was later adopted. The motion reaffirmed QS's commitment to combating systemic racism and rejected the exploitation of immigrants, while also condemning the threats and "defamation campaign" against Bouazzi. The party clarified that it does not and has never claimed that members of the National Assembly are racist.

In response, Bouazzi expressed gratitude on X (formerly Twitter), thanking party members for their support and for condemning the "smear campaign" against him. "I've been moved and energized by the spontaneous support I've received from members," he wrote.

Pascal Bérubé, a PQ MNA, criticized QS's stance on the matter. "Not only does Québec Solidaire fail to condemn its MNA's remarks, it supports him more than ever and he comes out of this feeling 'energized,'" Bérubé posted. "Haroun Bouazzi's insulting remarks aren't sitting well, and we'll get back to them Tuesday when we return to the National Assembly."