Darine Houmani-Montreal

Ruba Ghazal’s journey brings together immigration, work in the industrial sector, and involvement in left-wing politics and feminism. Born in Beirut in 1977 to a Palestinian family, Ghazal spent her childhood in the United Arab Emirates before moving with her family to Quebec in 1988, at the age of ten. She settled in Saint-Laurent and learned French in welcoming classes for newly arrived students—an experience she recalls when discussing the role of public schools in helping immigrants integrate and develop a sense of belonging in their new society. She describes herself as a “child of Bill 101,” connecting her personal experience to the French language and Quebec culture.

Ghazal studied business administration at HEC Montréal, earning her bachelor’s degree in 2000. She then obtained a master’s degree in environment from the Université de Sherbrooke in 2003, followed by a certificate in occupational health and safety from the same university in 2011. Before entering the National Assembly, she spent approximately fifteen years working in environmental protection and occupational health and safety in the industrial sector.

Her political involvement began in 2004 with Option Citoyenne, before she became a founding member of Québec Solidaire in 2006. On October 1, 2018, she was elected to represent the Montreal riding of Mercier, succeeding Amir Khadir, and was re-elected on October 3, 2022. During her time in the National Assembly, she held a range of critic portfolios, from environment, energy and transportation to education, culture, the French language and women’s issues, followed by independence and inclusive nationalism.

On November 16, 2024, the party’s congress elected her co-spokesperson with approximately 91 per cent of the vote. In March 2025, she became the party’s parliamentary leader and served as leader of the second opposition group in the National Assembly until its dissolution ahead of the 2026 election. She is entering the current election as the party’s choice to become premier of Quebec if it forms government.

Among the most prominent political initiatives associated with her is “Nouveau Québec”—“New Quebec”—a campaign launched by the party in 2024 to bring the independence project closer to younger generations, with Ghazal serving as its ambassador. This vision finds expression in her book, Les gens du pays viennent aussi d’ailleurs—“The People of This Country Also Come from Elsewhere”—published by Lux in 2025. In it, she revisits her experience of immigration and belonging, and criticizes rhetoric portraying immigrants as a threat to the French language, emphasizing the role of solidarity, public schools and organizations that welcome newcomers.

Among her parliamentary initiatives, the Palestinian cause features prominently in her public positions: she has called on the National Assembly to recognize the State of Palestine, demanded an end to arms supplies to Israel, and urged the closure of Quebec’s office in Tel Aviv.

In this interview, Ghazal reflects on her record in Mercier and identifies tenant protection and access to housing—particularly for women fleeing violence—as priorities. She also explains her party’s position on restrictions on religious symbols, advocates an independence project that includes immigrants and minorities, and affirms its commitment to divesting from companies complicit in or profiting from the genocide in Gaza. Moving between the everyday concerns of her constituents and broader questions of identity, rights and international solidarity, she outlines her vision for the role Québec solidaire should play in the next phase.

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You have represented the riding of Mercier since 2018. What tangible achievement do you consider the most important in improving the lives of its residents? What file have you been unable to make progress on, and would like to complete, and what are your priorities today?

Since 2018, I've been fighting for Mercier's tenants against speculators who are pushing the most vulnerable people out of our neighbourhood, people like Corey Shapiro and Henry Zavriyev. The housing crisis is hitting all of Quebec hard, and Mercier especially. Alongside the Comité logement du Plateau, I'm fighting to make sure tenants' rights are respected. Alongside organizations that serve people experiencing homelessness, I'm fighting to make sure they have access to the services they need and the support to get off the streets. 

Recently, I took the matter directly to the minister to secure more funding for Plein Milieu, and we got it. I'm very proud of that. With Québec solidaire, I'm proposing rent control, more shelter spaces, 50 000 new social housing units, and stronger protections for tenants, including seniors and women.

On housing for women, especially women fleeing violence, I'm committed to continuing my work on the Plateau. I want Les Maisons de l'Ancre to finally get the funding it needs to open a shelter. There's a serious shortage of spaces for women, and I intend to make this a top priority. 

What is your specific electoral commitment regarding Law 21 andthe restrictions on wearing religious symbols: repeal or amendment, and within what timeframe? And how do you respond to those who believe that protecting secularism requires these restrictions, while veiled women believe that they deprive them of job opportunities and equal participation?

We believe that secularism is first and foremost an institutional question, and not an individual one. As a government, we will withdraw discriminatory measures from bill 21 and 94 during our first mandate. Our secularism stance combines religious neutrality for public institutions and freedom of religion for every individual. Thus, we support equal participation and the development of job opportunities for all women.

You are putting forward a project of an independent Quebec that includes everyone. How do you convince a voter of immigrant origin who fears that independence will be accompanied by a narrower definition of Quebec identity? And what concrete guarantees do you offer to protect the rights of linguistic and religious minorities in this project?

We want to build a country for everyone, including immigrants, anglophones, Innuits and First Nations. At Québec solidaire, we know that immigration is an opportunity. It enriches our culture, it empowers our communities and it is vital for all of Québec’ regions. The same principles are guiding our vision for an independent country: we want to build it with the people, and for the people. All of them. 

For Québec Solidaire, everyone that feels Quebécer is one, in every sense. Our independence project will be built through a Constitution developed by the people, for the people, with representation from every group of our diverse society, including immigrants. 

Your party pledged to close the Quebec office in Tel Aviv within the first hundred days of government, and to divest the Caisse de dépôt et placement from companies implicated in violations against Palestinians. How will you implement this commitment? And if you remain in opposition, what means of pressure will you use to achieve it?

We will put in place the necessary measures to divest Quebecers’ money not only from Israeli companies, but also from any company complicit in the ongoing genocide or profiting from it, including arms, surveillance technology, and extractive industries operating in occupied territory.