French survival in America requires immigration, believes MP Ruba Ghazal. The candidate to replace Manon Massé, herself of Palestinian origin, wants Québec Solidaire to take up the torch of independence, too often associated with “conservation nationalism.”
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“The survival of the nation will no longer depend on the revenge of the cradles. It is about immigrants and children within the framework of Bill 101. In this way we will ensure the protection of the French people in North America and especially in Quebec,” explained Ruba Ghazal in an interview with our parliamentary office.
Like Christine Labrie and Émilise Lessard-Therrien, the member of Mercier is running for the position of co-speaker to defend the ideas of QS alongside Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois.
If the three candidates claim they are independents, Ruba Ghazal has made this their “priority” – in a party where the cause of sovereignty generally trumps the environment and social justice.
Since the reasonable accommodation crisis of 2007, the nationalist movement has seen a “pause” for new Quebecers, laments Ruba Ghazal.
“We were no longer embarrassed to blame immigrants. That’s where it started,” she said.
Ruba Ghazal in her grandmother’s apartment in Lebanon, 2003. Photo provided by Ruba Ghazal
The Solidarity MP sees this as a “conservation nationalism” rather than a “civic” and integrative approach that she associates with the early years of the sovereigntist movement.
Victims of war
Ruba Ghazal arrived in Quebec at the age of 10 and was born to Palestinian parents who lived in the United Arab Emirates. In 1948, his then 16-year-old grandmother had to flee Palestine after the founding of Israel.
The same grandmother’s apartment in Lebanon was destroyed by Israeli attacks in 2006.
Ruba Ghazal’s grandmother’s apartment, Lebanon, 2003. Photo provided by Ruba Ghazal
Ruba Ghazal’s grandmother’s apartment in Lebanon after the Israeli bombings in 2006. Photo provided by Ruba Ghazal
This past as a stateless person inspires the MP today in her sovereignty commitment. She quickly felt more Quebecois than Canadian. “I have two nations, not countries,” she said.
“It becomes natural among Palestinians to want to become a country. I mean, it’s not even a question. Why isn’t it the same in Quebec?” she asks, while emphasizing that “Canada is not Israel.”
Strategic question
Betting on independence is also a way for Québec Solidaire to emerge from the doldrums that have left it with just 11 MPs. “If we continue as we are doing, we will continue to stagnate,” Ms Ghazal said.
“I am convinced that this is a strategic issue for Québec Solidaire. If we want support across Quebec, especially in the regions, we must advance nationalism. Otherwise, I have doubts that we will be able to advance in the region,” she explains.
“We didn’t talk about it in 2022,” believes the supporting MP.
Bloc or NDP?
Last spring, Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet criticized Ms. Ghazal for voting federally for the NDP, a federalist and centralizing party.
Today it says it is “indifferent” to federal parties because sovereignty is not achieved in Ottawa. “I think I will cancel my federal election next time,” she explains.
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