Midnight's Four Strokes: Actions of Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois at Midnight Hour
Newly Revised Article:
From the green streets of Montreal to political limbo: Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois's departure from Québec solidaire
In the dark of midnight–or so it seemed–Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois had more than just four strikes. But here we are, no longer gallivanting through the green city streets as a powerful Quebecer Solidaire spokesperson, but instead, lost in the labyrinth of political limbo.
A fateful evening in October 2022, found Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois taking the stage at the MTelus, toggling between emotions as the CAQ swept over Quebec, delivering a mixed bag of news: voters had chosen 11 Solidaires deputies, but at a cost of one lost seat–Rouyn-Noranda-Témiscamingue–held by Émilise Lessard-Therrien, who was departing the seat she had once called home.
This quasi-stasis did little to encourage celebration, but Gabriel, optimistically heralded the trend as evidence that QS would be the only opposition party to withstand the tide. Some within the party, however, were hardly jubilant.
The First Blow: Post-Election Turmoil
In the quiet confines of a national council meeting in Montreal, contentious conversations about the election did not bode well for Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois. Insiders claim the aftermath was the prelude to his eventual departure, as critics challenged the communication strategy employed during the election campaign. GND found himself at odds with the party faithful for failing to self-reflect and recognize the losses incurred compared to the 2018 election.
As the party hovered around the 15% mark in 2023 polls, a speech from Guillaume Cliche-Rivard offering a twelfth seat via a by-election only accentuated the conflict, laying the groundwork for further "questions" to trouble the spokesperson as the leaves began to change.
The Second Blow: Catherine Dorion's Telling Revelations
"Burned Heads," the "punk hope notebooks" of former QS MP Catherine Dorion, was not intended to be a collection of scores to settle. Yet, once its first interviews began to circulate, Gabriel and his circle caught a glimpse of its pages. In her account, Dorion delved into "emotional pressures and power struggles" surrounding her former colleague, painting a picture of a party without a leader becoming increasingly dominated by one man's influence.
For some militants, Dorion hit the nail on the head. For others, she may have struck too close to the bone, leaving lasting wounded feelings. Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, allegedly, feared the book's release and felt a sting in the public eye.
In the same month as November's divisive release, QS held a crucial congress in Gatineau. While Manon Massé passed the torch to a new female spokesperson, no one sought to challenge Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois in the male spokesperson race, but the party rules still required a vote of confidence.
With rising uncertainty, Gabriel pondered his future as spokesperson, and the delegates around him echoed this doubt.
"I'm Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, I have a one-and-a-half-year-old daughter, I love hockey, and I live in La Petite-Patrie. If I start like this, it's because I've thought in the last year that it might be just fine for me to be just this," he told the militants.
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois received an impressive 90.1% in the vote of confidence, stunning his close collaborators. It appeared that the door to leadership remained open, or so it seemed.
The Third Blow: The Atlantic Cod and Persisting Discord
In a letter drafted just before her departure in April 2024, Émilise Lessard-Therrien touched upon the "Atlantic cod" in a chapter of her document sent to the Solidarity MPs. She recounted the moment Saint Lawrence fishermen regained the right to keep cod in their nets but accused the new fishing quotas of favoring companies elsewhere.
Around the seabass issue, tension was palpable, with some voices claiming that the matter should be addressed later, while others–including Gabriel–advocated for immediate action. The parliamentary wing, she argued, showed "resistance" to her ideas.
Many within the party felt that her influence didn't come swiftly or easily, and sheigerred it should have come with the title. Yet, close associates of Gabriel believed that the sea bass episode demonstrated his desire to include her in the parliamentary wing's project.
The Fourth Blow: Haroun Bouazzi's Allegations
In November 2024, deputy Haroun Bouazzi spoke to the Club de l'Avenir Foundation, criticizing the construction of an "Other" in Parliament, belonging to marginalized communities–namely, those that are Maghrebi, Muslim, Black, Indigenous, or of cultural origin condemned as dangerous or inferior. Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois took issue with these statements, claiming they only fueled polarization.
The ensuing conflict left many within the party questioning Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois's commitment to fighting systemic racism and discrimination. Sources close to the spokesperson admitted that the Bouazzi episode was the "last nail in the coffin," ultimately leading to Gabriel's decision to take a parental leave in the following weeks.
Yet, by then, it seemed that the four strikes were more than Gabriel could bear, as he reflected on his political career.
Related Content:
- "Beginning a new chapter," Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois steps away from his role as co-spokesperson of Québec solidaire
- Editorial | New challenges for Québec solidaire in the wake of Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois' departure
- Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois expresses frustration with internal conflicts within Quebec Solidaire
- Québec Solidaire grapples with systemic racism allegations in the party's ranks
[1] "Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois draws criticism for silence on Islamophobia, racism in Quebec's National Assembly." Global News. (2021, March 30). https://globalnews.ca/news/7775300/gabriel-nadeau-dubois-islamophobia-racism-quebec-assembly/[1] "Québec Solidaire's struggle with systemic racism." CBC. (2021, March 26). https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-solidaire-systemic-racism-1.5947154
- The political limbo that Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois finds himself in has sparked intense discussion in the general news, speculating on potential future moves in Quebec Solidaire's leadership.
- In the wake of the internal turmoil, controversy surrounding systemic racism allegations, and the release of Catherine Dorion's "Burned Heads," the general news has been rife with questions about Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois's commitment to the party and its core values, and his possible hesitation to remain as a co-spokesperson.
