Martine Desjardins, former student leader, to run for Parti Quebecois

Martine Desjardins and Pauline Marois cozy up on the campaign trail. Desjardins announced Friday she will be running for the Parti Quebecois in the election. (Christophe Terrade/CTV Montreal)

Former student leader Martine Desjardins is running for the Parti Quebecois, she announced Friday.

Two weeks ago, Desjardins confirmed she had received an offer from the PQ and was mulling it over.

Friday, she announced that she had made her decision.

“After several years of activism, the time has come for me to enter politics with the PQ,” she wrote on Twitter.

“I believe in independence and the defence of our culture, our language and our values.”

She will run in the Groulx riding, which encompasses part Blainville.

The riding has an interesting history, having been held in the past by the PQ, the Liberals, the now-defunct Action democratique du Quebec, and most recently, the Coalition Avenir Quebec.

Desjardins was one of three student leaders who lead the 2012 protests against tuition fee increases.

Pauline Marois, then the leader of the opposition, famously donned a red square during the “Maple Spring,” and took part in an anti-government rally.

The protests led to a summit on higher education, held last year, which resulted in the PQ government announcing a limited tuition fee increase.

At the time, Desjardins said she was disappointed with the outcome.

But Friday, she said she and Marois have repaired their formerly tenuous relationship.

Desjardins will find a very familiar face in the PQ caucus -- Leo Bureau-Blouin, who represented the interests of CEGEP students during the student protests, was elected to represent a Laval riding in the 2012 election.

Also announced Friday, Diane Lamarre, the former head of the Quebec Order of Pharmacists will run for the PQ in the Taillon riding, currently held by Daniel Ratthe.

Ratthe was sitting as an independent; he was elected under the CAQ banner in 2012.