Manon Massé to step down as Québec Solidaire co-spokesperson

Six years after becoming the co-spokesperson for Québec Solidaire (QS), Manon Massé is preparing to pass the torch. 

At an emotional news conference Tuesday, Massé took to the podium amid a roar of applause and announced she would not seek another term as her party's co-spokesperson.

"In life, you have to know how to listen to yourself, so I decided to listen to my heart. My heart told me that I gave what I had to give as spokesperson for Québec Solidaire," she said.

The MNA for the central Montreal riding of Sainte-Marie-Saint-Jacques explained that she chose to give up the role in order to be able to devote all her time and effort to her constituents.

"Every day I meet people who have distress in their eyes," she said, her voice breaking. "I meet people who have lost their homes, seniors who have been kicked out in the name of making more cash by their owner, people who sometimes skip meals in a single day."

"These people need me."

Massé, 59, will set aside her duties as spokesperson at the party's convention in November.

'She won hearts one by one' 

Massé, a noted feminist and social activist, was named co-spokesperson for Québec Solidaire in 2017, bringing issues such as climate change, the green transition and Indigenous affairs to the National Assembly.

She was the party's first candidate upon its founding in 2006 but was not elected until 2014, on her fifth attempt. 

Speaking at the news conference Tuesday, Françoise David, former co-spokesperson for Québec Solidaire, said her longtime friend's persistence foreshadowed her tenacity as a leader. 

"She won hearts one by one," said David, describing Massé as special, exceptional and empathetic.

Before entering politics, Massé worked in the community for 30 years, often alongside David, defending the rights of women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, refugees and immigrants.

In a speech hailing Massé's leadership and character, Québec Solidaire co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois said his colleague taught him "to do politics not only with my head, but with my heart." 

He thanked Massé for her years of service, calling her "a great democrat, a great feminist and a great Quebecer." 

In a tweet, Premier François Legault said he loved debating with Massé. He lauded her integrity and described her as connected with the public. 

A model for people outside the norm

As for what made Massé most proud, as co-spokesperson?

"Well, it wasn't having done that debate in English," she said, poking fun at her limited grasp of the language during Quebec's first-ever English leaders' debate in 2018, prompting a laugh from the crowd. 

"I still pinch myself sometimes," she said.  

In all seriousness, she said, she is most proud of demonstrating that it is possible for people outside of what's seen as the norm to do what she did.

"No need to be known, no need to be like everyone else, no need to be among the greats already before arriving. What you need is to believe in yourself," she said. 

Massé called on young women to get involved in politics.

"It's up to the next generation to take the leadership of our party and to take the leadership in Quebec, to make the profound changes we want to make," she said. 

As Massé left the podium, hugging her colleagues, the audience erupted into a chant of "Manon!"

She responded by flashing the crowd one of her signature moves — a heart with her cupped hands — sparking even louder applause.