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.
Ruba Ghazal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 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 |  |
Early life and education
editGhazal 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.[2] She studied at HEC Montréal.[3]
Political career
editGhazal 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.[4] In 2018, she was elected to the National Assembly of Quebec for Mercier, succeeding Amir Khadir.[5]
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%.[6]
Political views
editLanguage issues
editGhazal has pushed for government policies to reverse the decline of the French language in Montreal.[7] 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.[8]
Foreign policy
editIn 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."[9] 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.[10]
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.
- ^ 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.
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