Émilise Lessard-Therrien resigns as Quebec Solidaire’s co-spokesperson

Québec solidaire (QS) spokesperson Émilise Lessard-Therrien is stepping down, saying she is completely exhausted, after being in office for a few months.

Lessard-Therrien was defeated in the 2022 elections and was elected to be co-spokesperson for QS alongside Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois at the end of November, ahead of MNA’s Ruba Ghazal and Christine Labrie.

In a long message posted on social media Monday morning, Lessard-Therrien explained that following her election, she tried to breathe new life into the party, by bringing new ideas.

“But I quickly realized that the train was already well underway,” she wrote. “I wanted to go there, try to influence the framework of reflection and decision-making led or nourished by a small team of professionals woven tightly around the male spokesperson. I sometimes got there, but I felt very alone there, and I had difficulty finding my space there.”

Lessard-Therrien added that she was “scolded or made to feel guilty” for speaking out, for giving opinions or following her intuition.

She confessed that her “natural enthusiasm quickly withered”, so she fell into “survival” mode within the party.

“Just four months was enough to exhaust me. Completely. I went on sick leave at the end of March, both knees on the ground, momentum slowed,” she said.

Lessard-Therrien had already been off work for a few weeks but says she will need more time to regain her enthusiasm.

Previously, she served as an MNA for Rouyn-Noranda—Témiscamingue from 2018 to 2022.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews