Quebec Solidaire candidates address delegates before the vote

Candidates Emilise Lessard-Therrien, Ruba Ghazal and Christine Labrie make their final pitches to the Quebec Solidaire party members ahead of Sunday's vote for the female spokesperson of the party. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

The Quebec Solidaire (QS) candidates for spokesperson addressed party delegates one last time before Sunday's vote.

An extremely emotional Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois got the ball rolling on Saturday morning. He explained why he was standing again for the position of male spokesperson.

He told the delegates that, after the 2022 election, he had doubted whether he was still the right person to carry the party's voice. In the room, his little daughter Hélène could be heard saying, "Papa, papa."

Several questions had "fallen on him at the same time" in recent months, he said.

"Internal criticism," in particular, had got to him.

However, on reflection, he found himself still full of "hope" and keen to "continue (...) this great fight" to make QS the alternative to the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ).

Nadeau-Dubois is the only candidate standing; at the 2021 convention, he obtained a score of 94 per cent.

Quebec Solidaire co-leader Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois waves to the crowd following a speech at the party's convention in Gatineau, Que., on Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

The three candidates for the position of women's spokesperson, Christine Labrie, Émilise Lessard-Therrien and Ruba Ghazal, then held a final debate before the vote.

The respectful exchanges allowed the candidates to show their personalities.

Labrie emphasized the need for QS to put forward clear ideas that would improve people's living conditions.

For her part, Lessard-Therrien said she wanted to play politics like the Cowboys Fringants play music: playing at the Bell Centre, but never forgetting the villages.

Ruba Ghazal, who describes herself as a "child of Bill 101," spoke about immigration and the importance of "building bridges between minorities and the majority."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Nov. 25, 2023.