Nadeau-Dubois and Ghazal call on Bouazzi to fall into line

Back in parliament, Québec solidaire (QS) convened a special caucus this morning to rule once and for all on the “Bouazzi affair”, which has been plaguing the party since last Thursday.

The main person in question also managed to slip in while the journalists had their backs turned.

Before joining the meeting in turn, the spokespersons of QSGabriel Nadeau-Dubois and Ruba Ghazal, for their part, made a brief statement to the media, affirming that all members of the caucus had to say without hesitation et unambiguously what the National Assembly and its members are not racist.

According to our information, several members of the parliamentary wing would like to see Haroun Bouazzi suspended from the caucus.

Questioned on the subject, the member for Sherbrooke, Christine Labrie, declared upon her arrival at the National Assembly this morning that the main person concerned was going make your own decisions. What I can tell you is that his comments make me extremely uncomfortable, I do not share themshe added.

A day that promises to be a long one for those in solidarity

The deputy of QS is eagerly awaited at the Salon rouge. Up to three motions to condemn his comments on racism in the National Assembly could be tabled by the other parties. They could also be merged as discussions continue between parliamentary leaders.

If the Liberal and PQ motions are limited to asking the Assembly to dissociates itself from any declaration suggesting that elected officials are racist and asserting that none of its members is motivated by racism and the negative or inferior construction of the “Other”that of the government goes further.

The CAQ text ends in particular by demanding that Parliament asks the member for Maurice-Richard to withdraw his comments and apologize to [l’]Assembly and all its members who were targeted by its accusations of racism.

Elected officials should not fall into such communitarianismpleaded the Minister responsible for the Fight against Racism, Christopher Skeete, upon his arrival at parliament this morning.

When we go into our communities and divide instead of building bridges, I think we are on the wrong track, he said. This is not worthy of the office.

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Haroun Bouazzi, according to his opponents, shocked the entire political class by delivering a controversial speech at a gala organized earlier this month by the Club Avenir Foundation, a OSBL working for the integration of Maghreb communities into the host society.

The Montreal MP then affirmed that he was every day witness to the National Assembly of remarks aimed at build the Other – maghrébin, Muslim, noir, indigenous – and its culture which, by definition, would be dangerous or inferior.

He also added a layer in an interview on the Montreal show All one morninglast Friday, on ICI PREMIÈRE, by denouncing, rightly or wrongly, comments made by ministers Christian Dubé and Lionel Carmant in recent weeks and which, according to him, illustrate the construction of this Other that he fights.

Such comments cast doubt on the congress of QSthis weekend, as well as the coronation of Ruba Ghazal as the party’s female spokesperson, who will unofficially replace Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois as parliamentary leader when the latter goes on paternity leave next month.

The partisan rally concluded with the adoption of a half-hearted emergency resolution, ensuring that the elected representatives of the National Assembly were not racist while condemning the smear campaign directed against the MP, who has received numerous hate messages since last week.

This vote, however, did not succeed in closing what is now commonly called the “Bouazzi affair”, as shown by the draft motions which were circulated in the media.