Québec Solidaire co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois to leave politics at end of mandate

Québec Solidaire co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau Dubois is stepping down as party leader and will leave politics at the end of his mandate.

Québec Solidaire co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau Dubois will leave politics at the end of his mandate, he announced Thursday.

While speaking to journalists, the 34-year-old teared up as he cited his kids as reasons for stepping aside, adding that he is also leaving the co-spokesperson role effective immediately.

He said he will ensure QS has time to pick a new leader.

“While the radical right is on the rise everywhere, Quebecers need a strong left that can stand its ground,” he said a news conference Thursday, adding that the party needs new blood.

The announcement comes just days after Nadeau-Dubois returned to the National Assembly from paternity leave and a byelection with devastating results for his party.

QS Terrebonne candidate Nadia Poirier finished with just 4.55 per cent of the vote, compared to 12.65 per cent in the 2022 general election. She then took to social media to say she had a lack of support from the party.

Nadeau-Dubois’ leadership style has been called into question several times in the last two years. Former MNA Catherine Dorion openly criticized him in her 2023 book, and QS underwent structural changes in 2024.

Émilise Lessard-Therrien then resigned as co-spokesperson last April, just a few months after being elected, putting the spotlight back on Nadeau-Dubois. Ruba Ghazal took over the role.

Nadeau-Dubois admitted to journalists that he felt “worn down” by the party’s “successive crises.”

He said he “can’t ignore the last two years,” which prove he “is no longer the right person to move the party forward.”

“I don’t want to be one of those politicians who doesn’t know when to step aside,” he said.

‘His fights remain our fights’

Ghazal commended Nadeau-Dubois' decision, saying he put the collective interest first.

“Gabriel has always been driven by a clear objective: to make the left win in Quebec, to build a fairer society for all Quebecers,” she wrote on X.

“He may no longer be our spokesperson, but his fights remain our fights at Québec Solidaire: for free education, for environmental protection, for feeding children in our schools, for an ethical government that governs in the interest of the people rather than the economic elites.”

Premier François Legault took to social media to thank the leftist politician for his eight years in politics.

“Gabriel is an intelligent and pleasant man to be around. He has always defended his beliefs with passion. Despite our disagreements, I enjoyed speaking with him during question periods. I wish him good luck for the future and much happiness with his family,” he wrote.

Nadeau-Dubois’ political career started as a student association leader during the 2012 Maple Spring protests, on which he wrote a memoir.

When the student movement subdued, Nadeau-Dubois insisted he did not want to enter politics.

“At the time, I thought the only way to make progress was by being in the street and putting pressure on governments,” he said.

But, his mind changed over the next five years because “if only the bad people are in power, nothing will get accomplished.”

He was elected in the Gouin riding in 2017, following former QS co-spokesperson Françoise David’s departure from politics.

He was the party’s candidate for premier in the 2022 election, when QS won the most seats in the party’s history.

Recent polls show QS would lose some of its 12 seats if a general election were called today, with the Parti Québécois leading the polls.

‘Admission of failure’

Political analyst Raphaël Melançon did not mince words when asked about Nadeau-Dubois' departure.

“Nadeau-Dubois tried as much as he could to bring that party more towards the centre so he could appeal to a broader audience, and sadly he failed at it and that’s what we’re seeing today: it’s an admission of failure,” he said.

According to Melançon, Nadeau-Dubois was a “breath of fresh air” for QS when he joined the party eight years ago.

“He was such a charismatic figure that people hoped QS would form the official opposition,” he said.

Nadeau-Dubois was also a “divisive” figure after Maple Spring. Conservatives weren’t fond of him while many on the left thought he didn’t go far enough, said Melançon.

Nonetheless, the QS co-spokesperson made himself the thorn in Legault’s side in recent years with QS “almost doing the job of the official opposition in the National Assembly.”

However, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon took over the mantle when elected PQ leader.

“All of a sudden the media exposure all went to the PQ and left QS with almost nothing,” while Nadeau-Dubois “went soft,” said Melançon.

QS has been polling below 10 per cent, which the party hasn’t seen in years.

Melançon said it’s not clear who will replace Nadeau-Dubois, and whomever is elected will have big shoes to fill.

“He’s the face of QS and has been for eight years,” he said.

With files from CTV News Montreal’s Kelly Greig