Alexandre Boulerice, centre, flanked by Quebec Solitaire co-spokesperson Ruba Ghazal, right, and Sol Zanetti announces his intention to leave federal politics and the NDP party and run provincially with Quebec Solidaire, in Montreal on April 27.Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press
NDP Leader Avi Lewis says he was unable to persuade the party’s only member of Parliament from Quebec to stay in federal politics, but said the NDP will fight to hold the riding when a by-election is called.
Alexandre Boulerice confirmed on Monday that he will be leaving his seat in the Montreal riding of Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, which he has held for 15 years.
He told a news conference in Montreal that he will run for the sovereigntist Québec solidaire party in the fall provincial election.
Mr. Lewis said many New Democrats tried to persuade Mr. Boulerice to stay. “It’s clear this decision has been a long time in coming,” he told reporters on Parliament Hill.
Monday’s development leaves the NDP with five seats in the House of Commons, short of the 12 required for official party status.
It’s a long way from what was called the Orange Wave during the 2011 election, in which the NDP, under Jack Layton, won 59 of 75 seats in the province.
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It’s also the first time there is no NDP MP from Quebec since 2007.
Mr. Lewis tried to cast the development as a principled move by Mr. Boulerice. “There are serious issues in Quebec and Alexandre wants to put his considerable skills as a politician and as a fighter for progressive values to work in his province, and we respect that decision.”
He said the party will fight to hold onto riding whenever a by-election is called.
“This is not a surprise. I am not fazed and we’re excited to continue to build the NDP in Quebec,” he said.
But Mr. Lewis said he won’t run in the riding himself. “Quebeckers should be represented by Quebeckers and I am not a Quebecker,” he said. “And there’s a lot of interest locally.”
Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie was created in 1979 and, although represented at times by a Liberal and a Progressive Conservative, was largely held by the Bloc Québécois until Mr. Boulerice won the riding in the Orange Wave. In the 2025 election, he won with 40 per cent of the vote, compared to 32 per cent for the Liberals. The Bloc came third with 18 per cent.
At his announcement in Montreal, Mr. Boulerice said his move to Québec solidaire is a “homecoming of sorts” after his time in Ottawa. “My roots, my culture, what really moves me is here,” he said.
Though he previously said he was disappointed by the quality of French during the recent NDP leadership race, Mr. Boulerice said Monday he was confident Mr. Lewis “will be able to reconnect with the hearts and minds of Quebeckers.” But he said his responsibility now is to get elected to Quebec’s National Assembly.
Mr. Boulerice began his political career in 2003 as a candidate for a left-wing provincial party, the Union des forces progressistes, which would later merge with another group to form Québec solidaire. He first ran for the federal NDP in 2008 and was elected to the House of Commons in 2011.
On Monday, he said Quebec “needs to be repaired,” and pointed to the need for more housing, better schools and greater environmental protection. He also spoke of his vision for a sovereign nation, which he said must “include and bring together all Quebeckers.”
Québec solidaire co-spokesperson Sol Zanetti, one of the party’s two leaders, said Mr. Boulerice had a front-row seat for 15 years to the “failures and setbacks” of the federal government.
“He is one of the best-placed to speak to why we should leave Canada and make Quebec a country,” Mr. Zanetti said.
Ruba Ghazal, the party’s other co-spokesperson, said Monday’s announcement was the product of a lengthy courtship. “We’ve had our eye on Alexandre for a long time,” she said. “We’ve been hoping for a long time that he’d come back home.”
Mr. Boulerice will stay on as an independent MP until the Quebec election campaign this fall.
He could be a major asset to Québec solidaire, which is fighting to prove its relevance in the province’s crowded political landscape. He will run in the Montreal riding of Gouin, a key seat for the party, which overlaps with his federal riding. The seat is currently held by former party spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois.
Mr. Nadeau-Dubois resigned from his leadership position last year and announced he would not seek re-election, as the party struggled to overcome internal divisions. Québec solidaire is currently polling at or below 10 per cent.
The author of a wide-ranging report on the NDP’s poor performance in the 2025 federal election said Mr. Boulerice’s departure is a blow, but that the NDP has strength in Quebec.
Ottawa lawyer Emilie Taman said she was impressed by the Quebec-based NDP volunteers, candidates and organizers with whom she met.
“I have full confidence that they will be ready to hit the ground running and mount a strong NDP campaign in Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie,” she said.
Ms. Taman said she doesn’t read much into Mr. Boulerice’s decision to go given his long run as an MP. “It’s understandable that he may be looking for other ways to serve.”