MNA Haroun Bouazzi apologizes for jab at CAQ ministers, but not for comments on racism

A Québec Solidaire MNA who has been at the centre of a political firestorm issued an apology to Coalition Avenir Québec ministers on Tuesday, but he stopped short of retracting the statement he made about racism and the negative portrayal of ethnic and cultural groups at the National Assembly that triggered the controversy in the first place.

Haroun Bouazzi has faced criticism for a speech he delivered last week at an event organized by Fondation Club Avenir, a community group that works with immigrants.

Bouazzi touched on the topic of racism, and his words immediately sparked accusations that he labelled his fellow lawmakers as racists and undermined the integrity of the institution.

"God knows I see this in the National Assembly every day, the construction of this other, this other who is Maghrebi, who is Muslim, who is Black, who is Indigenous and whose culture, by definition, would be dangerous or inferior," Bouazzi said during his speech, which he posted on his Instagram page.

As an example, he pointed to the situation at Bedford elementary school in Montreal, where the suspension of 11 teachers reignited the debate over secularism in Quebec.

He praised the community group's work in "breaking the mechanism of racism."

Since the speech, there have also been calls for QS to sanction its MNA. But Bouazzi, who was elected as the MNA for Montreal's Maurice-Richard riding in 2022, has been adamant that he never called anyone racist.

On Tuesday, the three other political parties at the National Assembly tabled separate motions denouncing the remarks made during Bouazzi's speech. In its motion, the CAQ demanded the MNA apologize and retract what he said. 

Following a vote in the evening, MNAs — including Bouazzi — unanimously adopted the motions put forward by the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) and the Parti Québécois (PQ), which reaffirm that the National Assembly and its members are not racist.

Neither motion mentioned Bouazzi by name. The CAQ's motion was rejected. 

Bouazzi's apology

Earlier in the day, Bouazzi took to X on Tuesday to write a lengthy statement, in which he apologized to Health Minister Christian Dubé and Social Services Minister Lionel Carmant for comments he made last Friday during an interview with Radio-Canada's Tout un matin.

During that interview, he singled out Dubé and Carmant, saying they've blamed immigration for problems like surgery delays or issues plaguing the province's youth protection system.

Both ministers came out out saying those claims were false and unacceptable. 

Bouazzi now acknowledges that his comments were "clumsy."

"I apologize for this clumsiness that overshadowed the substance of my remarks and thoughts," he said, adding that he's never targeted anyone in his efforts to fight racism.

In his statement, he also stressed that he doesn't believe the National Assembly or its members are racists. This echoes what MNAs from other parties have been saying as well as the stance his caucus took while adopting a motion last weekend to show support for him.

That motion also condemned using immigrants as scapegoats for social issues like the lack of housing, employment, access to public services and the vitality of the French language in Quebec.

Quebec Premier François Legault has often said the high number of temporary immigrants coming into the province is the reason for its housing crisis. 

Legault said Tuesday afternoon that Bouazzi's apology was "unclear."

"It's like he's beating around the bush," the premier said, adding the MNA needs to clearly say that his comments "didn't make sense."

Legault said it's untrue MNAs are racist at the National Assembly and that discussions about immigration need to happen. He said there are 600,000 temporary immigrants in Quebec, a number he described as well over the province's capacity.

"So we have the right to say there are too many immigrants without the QS MNA treating us like racists," Legault said. 

Carmant, for his part, said that while Bouazzi's apology is a first step, it's still not enough. He wants the MNA to apologize to all of his fellow lawmakers. 

The motion from the PLQ called for the National Assembly to distance itself from any statement that suggests that the institution and its members are racist, and that such statements make it difficult to "maintain a consensus that is necessary for the fight against racism and all forms of discrimination." 

"Put yourself in the shoes of someone who sees an elected official say that he witnesses this 'construction' at the National Assembly, every day, and does nothing about it. That means his hands are tied," Liberal MNA Monsef Derraji said on Tout un matin earlier Tuesday. 

Derraji, who was born in Morocco, said he's yet to see the QS MNA try to "deconstruct" the behaviours he claims to see on a regular basis.

"Instead of saying he witnesses this construction of the other outside the National Assembly, I'd like to see him come up with concrete actions," he said.

In the last week, Bouazzi has faced criticism from all corners of the National Assembly, including his own party.

Co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois and Ruba Ghazal, who was officially introduced as the party's female spokesperson during its congress last weekend, described Bouazzi's speech as clumsy, exaggerated and polarizing.

On Friday, however, Nadeau-Dubois issued a call for calm after he said there was a surge in threatening messages sent to the party's riding offices and on social media.

Bouazzi issued Tuesday's apologetic statement on X shortly after Nadeau-Dubois spoke to reporters at the National Assembly and said "members of our caucus have to be clear, without any hesitation or ambiguity, to affirm that the National Assembly and its members aren't racist."

Following the apology, Nadeau-Dubois said "it cannot be more clear" that Bouazzi believes this to be true. 

"At one point, we have to, I think, accept that," he said.