Ruba Ghazal | |
|---|---|
 Ghazal in 2018 | |
| Member of the National Assembly of Quebec for Mercier | |
| Assumed office October 18, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Amir Khadir |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 6, 1977 Beirut, Lebanon |
| Political party | Québec solidaire |
| Education | HEC Montréal Université de Sherbrooke |
| Profession | Chartered accountant |
| Signature |  |
Ruba Ghazal (born December 6, 1977) is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the National Assembly of Quebec in the 2018 provincial election.[1] She represents the electoral district of Mercier as a member of Québec solidaire. In November 2024, she became the female co-spokesperson of the party after an uncontested election.[2]
Early life and education
[edit]Ghazal was born in Beirut, Lebanon to a family of Palestinian refugees. She lived in the United Arab Emirates until she was 10, when her family immigrated to Quebec.[3] She studied at HEC Montréal.[4]
Political career
[edit]Ghazal was a founding member of Québec solidaire in 2006, and was the party's candidate for Laurier-Dorion in the 2007 and 2008 general elections.[5] In 2018, she was elected to the National Assembly of Quebec for Mercier, succeeding Amir Khadir.[6]
Following the 2022 provincial election, she became the opposition critic for Education, Culture and Communications, the French Language, and the Status of Women.
In 2023, Ghazal ran for the co-spokesperson election of Québec Solidaire. Ghazal lost the election in the second round, getting 49.7% for Ghazal against Émilise Lessard-Therrien who obtained 50.3%.[7]
Political views
[edit]Language issues
[edit]Ghazal has pushed for government policies to reverse the decline of the French language in Montreal.[8] As Québec solidaire's critic for language issues, Ghazal has advocated for the creation of a special branch of the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) for Montreal.[9]
Foreign policy
[edit]In 2021, Ghazal attended protests amid the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis against the Israeli government's actions in actions in Sheikh Jarrah. Ghazal stated that "One day we will look back and declare this a humanitarian crime against Palestinians."[10] Ghazal was among the signatories of a 2021 letter opposing Canada's bid for a seat on the United Nations Security Council due to the country's position on Palestine.[11]
Electoral record
[edit]| 2022 Quebec general election: Mercier | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Québec solidaire | Ruba Ghazal | 14,755 | 53.92 | -0.58 | ||||
| Parti Québécois | Sabrina Mercier-Ullhorn | 3,986 | 14.57 | +2.44 | ||||
| Liberal | Catherine Boundjia | 3,837 | 14.02 | -3.69 | ||||
| Coalition Avenir Québec | Florence Lavictoire | 2,814 | 10.28 | +2.24 | ||||
| Conservative | Emmanuel Da Costa | 1,051 | 3.84 | +3.42 | ||||
| Green | Véronique Langlois | 818 | 2.99 | -0.78 | ||||
| Parti nul | Jenny Cartwright | 102 | 0.37 | -0.43 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 27,363 | 99.14 | – | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 238 | 0.86 | – | |||||
| Turnout | 27,601 | 63.62 | ||||||
| Electors on the lists | 43,387 | |||||||
| 2018 Quebec general election: Mercier | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Québec solidaire | Ruba Ghazal | 15,919 | 54.5 | +8.31 | ||||
| Liberal | Gabrielle Collu | 5,172 | 17.71 | -5.31 | ||||
| Parti Québécois | Michelle Blanc | 3,542 | 12.13 | -8.37 | ||||
| Coalition Avenir Québec | Johanne Gagné | 2,348 | 8.04 | -0.34 | ||||
| Green | Stephanie Rochemont | 1,102 | 3.77 | |||||
| New Democratic | Conrad Thompson | 738 | 2.53 | |||||
| Parti nul | Malou Marcil | 233 | 0.8 | |||||
| Conservative | Ludovic Proulx | 122 | 0.42 | |||||
| Marxist–Leninist | Serge Lachapelle | 34 | 0.12 | |||||
| Total valid votes | 29,210 | 98.91 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 322 | 1.09 | ||||||
| Turnout | 29,532 | 65.56 | ||||||
| Eligible voters | 45,048 | |||||||
| Québec solidaire hold | Swing | +6.81 | ||||||
References
[edit]- ^ "Quebec election: Québec Solidaire’s Ruba Ghazal wins in Mercier". Global News, October 1, 2018.
- ^ Dufranne, Quentin (15 October 2024). "Ruba Ghazal to be Quebec Solidaire's female co-spokesperson". CTV News. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
- ^ Stevenson, Verity (March 8, 2021). "For women of colour in Quebec politics, progress 'remains fragile,' MNA warns". CBC. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
- ^ "Quebec Solidaire names Ruba Ghazal as candidate for Mercier". Montreal. 2018-05-07. Retrieved 2022-10-01.
- ^ "L'environnementaliste Ruba Ghazal pour succéder à Amir Khadir". Radio-Canada (in Canadian French). May 7, 2018. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
- ^ "Quebec election: Québec Solidaire's Ruba Ghazal wins in Mercier - Montreal | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 2022-10-01.
- ^ "Émilise Lessard-Therrien devient la nouvelle co-porte-parole de Québec solidaire" [Émilise Lessard-Therrien becomes Québec solidaire's new co-spokesperson]. Radio-Canada (in French). November 26, 2023. Archived from the original on November 26, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ "Quebec Solidaire proposes new plan to tackle decline of French in Montreal". Montreal. 2021-03-15. Retrieved 2022-10-01.
- ^ "Québec solidaire wants OQLF to focus on Montreal". Montreal Gazette. March 15, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
- ^ Yeung, Diane (May 15, 2021). "Thousands unite in solidarity with Palestinians amid violence in Gaza and Jerusalem". The Link. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
- ^ "Canadian bid for UN security seat unnerved by over 1000 individual letters". Just Peace Advocates. 2020-06-11. Retrieved 2022-10-01.