Ruba Ghazal to run for Québec solidaire co-spokesperson

Ruba Ghazal announced her candidacy for the position of co-spokesperson for Québec solidaire (QS).

The MNA for Mercier made the announcement Wednesday morning in Montreal’s Parc La Fontaine.

“The past few weeks have not always been easy. We’ve had important debates and sometimes difficult, albeit necessary, discussions,” she said. “We managed to find a way through. This has always been Québec solidaire’s leadership style: listening, dialogue and action. Now it’s time time to look to the future, and the future lies in bringing together all the forces forces of our party.”

Last November, Ghazal lost the race to become QS co-spokesperson by a mere 0.6 per cent in the second round.

Émilise Lessard-Therrien won, with 50.3 per cent of the vote in that round.

But in April, Lessard-Therrien stepped down, just a few months after taking office.

Her resignation sent shockwaves through Québec solidaire.

In a message explaining the reasons for her departure, she criticized the “small team of professionals tightly knit around” the male co-spokesperson, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois.

Christine Labrie, MNA for Sherbrooke, is currently acting as interim spokesperson for the party.

Party unity and love of Quebec

Ghazal wants to focus her campaign on two main themes: party unity and love of Quebec.

“I want to be a cohesive force for Québec solidaire, building bridges and bringing our members together around what unites us.”

“We need to modernize the party, but we can do it without distorting our identity and staying true to our left-wing DNA. I want the Catherine Dorion and Émilise Lessard-Therrien to find their place in our party, just as much as as Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois or Christine Labrie,” explained Ghazal.

Québec solidaire members will vote for their next co-spokesperson at the party’s convention Nov. 15 to 17.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews