Québec solidaire denounces the “toxic climate” surrounding the election of Haroun Bouazzi in Maurice-Richard, a first breakthrough for the party in this riding. Barely elected, the main interested party was indeed the target of hateful comments online.
Posted at 11:14 a.m.
“The formidable Haroun Bouazzi has earned his place in the National Assembly. Hatred and Islamophobia have no place in Quebec. I invite us collectively as elected officials and citizens to denounce this toxic climate and warmly welcome our new colleague, ”hammered the solidarity co-spokesperson, Manon Massé, in a tweet at the start of the day, Friday.
She was reacting to several hateful remarks published online against solidarity. Internet users have notably affirmed that he embodied “the Islamist lobby at Québec solidaire”, or that the formation has become “an Islamo-leftist party”. Others also criticized the new elected official for having “defended sharia”, or even for making “pro-radical Islam remarks”.
As an activist and former co-president and co-founder of the Association of Muslims and Arabs for Secularism in Quebec (AMAL), Mr. Bouazzi, of Tunisian origin, had denounced in recent years the stigmatization of communities Muslims.
On Twitter, the CAQ member re-elected in Deux-Montagnes Benoit Charette, who was outgoing Minister for the Fight against Racism, also considered this kind of remarks “very deplorable”. “I wish the most cordial welcome to the National Assembly to my new colleague Haroun Bouazzi. It will be a pleasure to collaborate with him on various issues,” he added.
On the way to a first term
Haroun Bouazzi was previously assistant vice-president of enterprise and solutions architecture at the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC). In interview with The Press at the end of September, he said he felt “a sense of urgency to try new things” in Maurice-Richard.
An issue is on everyone’s lips this year in this constituency: the renovation and expansion of the Sophie-Barat school, whose state of decrepitude is no longer in doubt. Part of the main building was even condemned in 2020 due to risk of collapse, which forced many students to take their lessons in another building.
The secondary school is in such poor condition that a recent visit by the CNESST showed that urgent corrective measures needed to be taken to solve problems of possible exposure to asbestos and mould.
“There has been a terrible neglect for more than a decade,” said Mr. Bouazzi in an interview. Governments let this gem rot. We are going to ensure the accountability of the people who will be responsible for correcting the situation. »
This is the first time that Québec solidaire has obtained a seat in Maurice-Richard, where outgoing MP Marie Montpetit, excluded from the Liberal caucus in the wake of allegations of harassment, had announced that she would not run again. In this riding, which is often a barometer, we have traditionally exchanged Liberal and PQ MPs over time.