Independent MNA Vincent Marissal to leave politics at end of term

Independent MNA Vincent Marissal on Dec. 2, 2025 at Quebec's National Assembly. (LA PRESSE CANADIENNE/Jacques Boissinot)

Rosemont independent MNA Vincent Marissal has announced that he does not plan to run in the next provincial election, instead confirming that he will leave politics at the end of his term.

Last November, Marissal sent shockwaves through the political world when he suddenly quit Québec solidaire.

At the same time, the caucus suspended him for holding discussions with the Parti Québécois (PQ) on the possibility of running for it in the next election.

On Monday, Marissal took to social media to say his decision to leave politics required “deep introspection.”

He concluded that, eight years after being first elected, his time had come.

“I need to find myself, to get out of the omnipresent spotlight of public life. The last thing I want is to be involved in another controversy, a nasty back-and-forth or a polemic,” he wrote.

“What I want is to find another way to be useful, to serve Quebec, which is in great need of love and commitment,” he added, also citing personal reasons for leaving.

Marissal emphasized that he harbours “no bitterness toward anyone” and that he takes “full responsibility” for his actions and statements.

“I remain immensely proud to have been elected twice by my fellow residents of Rosemont, and I am still honoured by the trust, friendship and affection they show me every day. I am leaving for myself and by myself,” he said.

As for the future, Marissal mentioned potential writing projects, without naming specifics.

He noted that he wants to first cut the ties that bind him to politics.

A former journalist, Marissal was elected a Member of the National Assembly for Rosemont in 2018.

Re-elected in 2022, he was most notably Québec solidaire’s critic for health.

His break with Québec solidaire last fall was a stormy one, with Marissal criticizing his former party for being ungovernable.

“It’s a party that is paralyzed by its base, a party that is completely bogged down and unable to break free. There is a phenomenal distance between the caucus and the activist base,” he lamented.

Marissal admitted to having spoken with PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon about the possibility of running for the Parti Québécois in the 2026 election.

St-Pierre Plamondon said he was open to welcoming the former Québec solidaire member, but ruled out Marissal joining his party before the election.

Marissal said he also considered running for mayor of Montreal in 2025, but ultimately decided not to.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on March 2, 2026.