Departure of Vincent Marissal from QS | Voters and ex-colleagues “betrayed”

On Saturday, Québec solidaire (QS) announced that it had excluded Vincent Marissal from the caucus, after he had discussions with the Parti Québécois (PQ) with a view to changing allegiance – and a potential PQ candidacy in the 2026 general elections.

For his part, the member for Rosemont insists: it is not QS who is firing him, it is him who is leaving. The one who will now sit as an independent notably affirmed that the party was “paralyzed by its base”.

According to André Lavigne, met by The Press in Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie on Sunday, Mr. Marissal is an “opportunist”. “Marissal, he’s going to cross over to the PQ, that’s for sure,” thinks the Quebec Solidaire voter.

It is “betraying all those who had placed their trust” in him, deplores Serge Leclerc, a supportive voter who expressed his dissatisfaction on social networks.

A former voter in solidarity with the neighborhood, Maria Bortello, is “disappointed” with this decision, and more generally with QS. “I recognize myself less now in the party, I am uncertain of their positions, it is disorganized,” she said.

Before entering politics with Solidarity, with whom he was elected in 2018, Vincent Marissal had considered running for the federal Liberals. More recently, he had even considered making the jump to Montreal town hall in recent years.

Shock wave at QS

On the set of Everyone is talking about itSunday evening, the member for Rosemont said he had been “dirty”, he who planned to announce his departure at the caucus on Wednesday.

The elected official explained that he had accumulated “a lot of frustration”, and believes that his attempts to refocus the left party have failed. Although he maintains that there is no official agreement with the Parti Québécois, he maintains that he is interested in its ability to “achieve independence”.

With this departure, Mr. Marissal becomes the eighth deputy to sit as an independent within the 43^e legislature of the National Assembly. Of this number, five are still sitting (see capsule at the bottom of the text).

Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, solidarity deputy for Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne, also indicated that he felt betrayed on Sunday. “Betrayed by a lack of loyalty, transparency, integrity, values ​​that are at the heart of who I am,” he reported in a long Facebook post.

“While he supported me in my race for spokesperson for Québec Solidaire, Vincent Marissal was shopping for another political party,” also denounced Étienne Grandmont, MP for Taschereau, on Facebook. “I tell you bluntly: I was deeply shocked by his maneuvers. For me, a red line has been crossed. »

For Amir Khadir, former spokesperson for Québec solidaire, Vincent Marissal put his personal interests first. He would have felt that he could lose his seat and chose to leave the ship before the shipwreck, he lamented in an interview. Mr. Khadir names a counter-example in Pascal Bérubé, who remained in the PQ out of conviction, even when “the death” of the party was chanted a few years ago.

“I think there would have been a more dignified, less angry way for Vincent Marissal to leave. […] This is not good for him or for QS. »

Becoming a defector, a dangerous gamble

More generally, can an MP who defects from his political camp remain credible? It depends on the context of his departure, argues Éric Montigny, full professor of political science at Laval University.

“When there is a conflict, for example a new party position in a congress, voters will understand the path of the politician who wants to separate. But when it’s associated with a career change, people are going to be more incredulous. »

Vincent Marissal’s decision stems from a journey “in progress for several months”, where he was already discussing with the adversary: ​​the negative reactions are therefore logical, and it can be normal to feel “betrayed”.

“In Canada and Quebec, people vote first for a political party, and not for an individual. So becoming a defector is not always a winning bet. »