GATINEAU – Shaken by the results of the last election and the criticism he was the target of, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois considered leaving his position as co-spokesperson for Québec solidaire, but ultimately held on.
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“After the 2022 results, I was disappointed, I was sad and I think I didn’t tell you enough,” admitted with emotion the parliamentary leader of Québec solidaire, taking breaks to better contain himself, during a speech in Gatineau, Saturday morning.
Unable to wrest official opposition status from the Quebec Liberal Party, QS found itself once again forming the second opposition group.
“Is it a good thing that I stay?” launched the deputy for Gouin, continuing his mea culpa in front of his activists gathered in congress.
- Listen to the interview with Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois on Marie Montpetit’s microphone via QUB radio :
“I took the time to think, to take a long walk,” he said. For a moment, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois said to himself that he could be content to be nothing more than a simple father of a little girl of one and a half years old, a hockey fan, but “ not in the same way as Eric Girard,” he joked.
Critics from within
“In politics, we are always criticized in the media, by our adversaries, [ça] is part of the game. Over time, we develop a shell, a hard rind,” underlined the QS co-spokesperson.
But it was the criticism coming from within his party itself that hurt the most. “These are the ones that penetrate the armor,” he illustrated, clearly moved.
The parliamentary leader and co-spokesperson for Québec solidaire, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, delivered a speech tinged with emotion during the resumption of work by his delegates gathered at a conference in Gatineau, Saturday morning.
PHOTO Marc-André Gagnon
Let us remember that some of these criticisms are notably laid out by the former solidarity MP for Taschereau, Catherine Dorion, in a book that she published a few days ago.
“Obviously, it makes us ask questions,” admitted Mr. Nadeau-Dubois, who is submitting to a sort of vote of confidence this weekend in front of his party delegates. The latter will also elect, on Sunday, the one who, Christine Labrie, Émilise Lessard-Therrien and Ruba Ghazal, will succeed Manon Massé as female co-spokesperson of their party.
The candidates for co-spokesperson for Québec solidaire, Christine Labrie, Émilise Lessard-Therrien and Ruba Ghazal.
PHOTO Marc-André Gagnon
It was ultimately by returning to what led him to join QS that he decided to stay in his position, and not “to fulfill a personal desire, to carry out a career plan, to make my personality shine” , he stressed.
“When I look at how far we have come together, I am proud. When I look at how we could change the lives of millions of Quebecers, […] Above all, I am filled with hope and I want to continue this great fight with you,” he declared.
A difficult speech
“It was a speech that was difficult for me to deliver, I think it seemed,” Mr. Nadeau-Dubois later commented, during a final press briefing alongside Manon Massé as co-sponsor. -feminine speech.
His reflection began “well before the publication of Catherine’s book”, underlined GND, specifying that his decision to continue had been taken since the spring.
“What the world needs to see is that their politicians actually have a heart,” said Manon Massé, who said she takes her share of responsibility in the criticism aimed at the management of QS.
“I was also there in 2022, Gabriel was not alone,” recalled Ms. Massé.
During a final debate, the three candidates for female spokesperson notably expressed on Saturday a certain nostalgia for the campaign led by QS in 2018, which had been notably marked by electoral posters with an artistic flavor.
This feeling was also shared by Mr. Nadeau-Dubois and Ms. Massé. “We would be crazy not to be inspired: it was our greatest electoral victory,” said Mr. Nadeau-Dubois, recalling that his caucus had then gone from 3 elected representatives from downtown Montreal to 10 deputies from almost everywhere in Quebec.
Four resolutions against the economic emergency
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois and Manon Massé welcomed the adoption of four proposals aimed at responding to what QS calls the economic emergency:
- the first suggests implementing a free school feeding program in all public schools;
- the second aims to cap the profit margins of large food chains;
- delegates also agreed to a resolution suggesting zero-rating the purchase of used goods (including vehicles) and repair services;
- they also voted in favor of increasing the minimum wage to $20 per hour from May 2024.