‘Lies, manipulation, intimidation’ part of everyday life in National Assembly: Bouazzi

Quebec Solidaire MNA Haroun Bouazzi participates in question period at the National Assembly on May 6, 2025. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press)

Québec solidaire (QS) MNA Haroun Bouazzi is once again lashing out at members of the National Assembly.

After being condemned in 2024 for claiming that he saw racism every day in the legislature, he is now repeating his claims, stating that “lies, manipulation, intimidation” are part of everyday life in the National Assembly.

He made the statements in the winter 2026 edition of his constituency’s publication, the Journal des Voisins. A press secretary claimed that his comments had been taken out of context.

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The CAQ government responded by calling for Mr. Bouazzi’s expulsion from the QS caucus.

In an article reviewing his term in office, the representative for Maurice-Richard (Montreal) also claims that “the National Assembly is a toxic environment.”

He believes that it is impossible to be happy in a context such as that of the parliamentary institution, according to the article. Nevertheless, he adds that he felt “at home during the past three years of his term.”

The Canadian Press asked two spokespeople for the political party during the day if the member wanted to clarify his thoughts, but received no response. Finally, a press secretary who requested anonymity called back at the end of the day to say that “it was taken out of context,” that it was “an intimate interview in a small newspaper.”

She recalled that Bouazzi had been involved in a controversy in 2024 and had received threats at the time.

“The National Assembly is a difficult place; for some, it’s toxic,” she added, saying that it is the place and not the elected officials who are toxic.

“Expressing one’s feelings is not an attack,” she concluded.

The spokesperson subsequently issued an official statement from Bouazzi.

“Is the National Assembly as an institution toxic? The answer is obviously no. I have never targeted my fellow MNAs or my supportive colleagues. However, as a work environment, it is a space where there is manipulation and lies, and that is not healthy. Out of respect for the institution, I have always refused to find this normal.”

Bouazzi should be kicked out of QC caucus: Jolin-Barrette

Government leader Simon Jolin-Barrette was quick to respond in the evening.

“Haroun Bouazzi’s radical comments must once again be denounced,” he wrote.

He called for the MNA’s expulsion from the QS caucus, arguing that it was a matter for the authority of QS leader Ruba Ghazal.

“Being a member of parliament is a privilege that must be earned,” wrote Jolin-Barrette. “QS must stop excusing this attitude and take the necessary action by expelling him from its caucus. This is a test of leadership.”

In January, Bouazzi announced that he would not be running for re-election in 2026. It should be noted that in November 2024, Bouazzi caused a stir in the National Assembly following a speech at a gala for the Club Avenir Foundation, a non-profit organization that works to integrate North African communities in Canada.

“God knows I see it every day in the National Assembly: the construction of this Other, this Other who is Maghrebi, who is Muslim, who is Black or Indigenous, and his culture, which, by definition, is dangerous or inferior,” he said at the time.

The female co-spokesperson and her male counterpart at the time, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, then insisted that the Assembly’s elected officials were not racist, but the MNA refused to apologize, and at least two motions passed by the elected officials condemned his remarks.

When he was expelled from the QS caucus last November as he was preparing to become independent, Rosemont MNA Vincent Marissal cited the Bouazzi affair as the trigger for his decision to leave the party. Marissal said that he would have liked to see Bouazzi expelled from the caucus at the time.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Feb. 19, 2026.

By Patrice Bergeron, The Canadian Press