3 Liberal MNAs, QS MNA Catherine Dorion won't seek re-election this fall

Quebec Liberal MNAs Nicole Ménard, Jean Rousselle and Hélène David are the latest to announce that they will not run for re-election on Oct. 3, following an announcement from Québec Solidaire MNA Catherine Dorion on Friday.

Ménard, the Liberal critic for international relations and la francophonie, served five mandates as the MNA for the South Shore riding of Laporte and was tourism minister under former Premier Jean Charest.

David has spent eight years as a Liberal MNA, first for the Montreal riding of Outremont and then Marguerite-Bourgeoys in LaSalle. She's held several ministerial portfolios in Phlippe Couillard's Liberal government, including culture, French language, higher education and the status of women. 

Rouselle, the MNA for the Laval, Que., riding of Vimont for the past 10 years, has held several parliamentary secretary and official opposition critic roles, most recently as the Liberal agriculture critic. 

Just days before announcing he would not run again, Rouselle filed a complaint with Laval police, reporting that he was attacked by two young men in his office building.

In a statement, Quebec Liberal Party Leader Dominique Anglade and her caucus thanked each of the MNAs for their contributions to the party and to Quebec society.

The three are just the latest Liberal MNAs to confirm they will not run again, following announcements from former Health Minister Gaétan Barrette, former ministers Christine St-Pierre, Lise Thériault and Francine Charbonneau and MNA Monique Sauvé. 

Dorion to focus on activism, art

Dorion, the MNA for the downtown Quebec City riding of Taschereau, said she will not seek re-election so that she can dedicate more time to activism. 

The Québec solidaire (QS) MNA made the announcement in a 15-minute video posted to Facebook on Friday, calling it a love letter to those in her constituency. 

She said she wants to continue to fight for the causes that are close to her heart, but in a different way. 

"I want to advocate on the ground, in theaters and in bars, in books and through people, and I want to put all my time into it," she said.

"I fought for four years to bring art back into politics; now what I want to do is take my chunk of political experience and bring that back to where I've come from, into art and into popular education. Because if the field of institutional politics clearly needs a fighter, the field of art needs them just as much."

WATCH | Departing MNA Catherine Dorion delivers a 'love letter' to her constituency:

She said she hopes that others like her will have the courage to take her place. 

"I know that politics is not always tempting, that it can be off-putting and all," she said. "But it's like the dishes: at some point, someone will have to do it."

The MNA will take questions from the media on Monday morning, her spokesperson said, adding the announcement was not an April Fool's joke. 

Dorion was elected in 2018 among nine other QS candidates, including six who claimed seats in Montreal. She was the first QS candidate to take the riding in the Quebec City area, and succeeded longtime Parti Québécois MNA Agnès Maltais. 

The MNA for the riding that includes downtown Quebec City as well as Montcalm, Saint-Roch and Saint-Sauveur is the first in the party to announce that she won't run again. 

"Catherine will remain a strong voice for the left, you will continue to hear her bring her different vision to Quebec's public sphere,' the party wrote on Friday, confirming her departure.

Quebec Solidaire has announced several new candidates in recent weeks, including immigration lawyer Guillaume Cliche-Rivard who will be running in Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne riding in the southwest of Montreal, and medical specialist Mélissa Généreux, who will run in the Saint-François riding in the Eastern Townships.