NDP MP Boulerice Leaves Party to Run Provincially in Quebec

NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice has announced he will leave his party to run provincially for Québec solidaire, a move that will reduce the NDP’s seat count to five.

In his April 27 announcement, Boulerice said he will sit as an independent until the Quebec’s provincial election in October, when he will run in the Montreal riding of Gouin, currently represented by Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois of Québec solidaire. Nadeau-Dubois announced in March 2025 that he would not seek re-election in the next general election.

“After 15 years as a New Democratic Party MP, this feels like a homecoming of sorts,” Boulerice said on social media. “It is a new challenge and, at the same time, a continuation of my political involvement as a progressive, environmentalist and humanist.”

Québec solidaire spokesperson Sol Zanetti said Boulerice’s decision is a strong endorsement of the party’s pro-independence platform. The Gouin riding is considered a safe seat for Québec solidaire, which has been struggling since the 2022 election and is polling behind the other major provincial parties.

Québec solidaire, the most left-leaning major party in the province, has granted an exception to its governing rules to allow Boulerice to run in Gouin. Québec solidaire has stated it only wants women or non-binary individuals to run in ridings the party currently holds.

Boulerice, who has also been serving as the NDP’s deputy leader, is the only NDP MP from Quebec. He has represented the riding of Rosement-La Petite-Patrie in Montreal since 2011, when he was first elected in the “Orange Wave” that saw the NDP make major inroads in Quebec and become the official Opposition.

Boulerice wrote that he’s “so proud” of what the NDP has accomplished and said he’s “convinced more than ever of the relevance of strong left-wing voices all over the world, including in Canadian Parliament.”

However, he added that “Québec is not doing well,” referencing the growing number of people who are homeless, forced to take on roommates, sleep in their vehicles, or remain in abusive relationships because they can’t afford to leave.

“I deeply believe, more than ever, we need a strong, assertive, supportive left in the National Assembly,” Boulerice wrote.

Boulerice’s announcement is the latest blow to the NDP, leaving the party with just five seats in Parliament, all of which are held in ridings west of Ontario.

The NDP lost official party status and representation on Parliamentary committees following the 2025 federal election, as their seat count fell from 24 to seven. Then on March 11, NDP MP Lori Idlout announced she was crossing the floor to join the Liberal Party, citing “new threats” against Canada’s sovereignty impacting the North and her riding of Nunavut.

Newly-elected NDP Leader Avi Lewis said he will not run in the riding that will be vacated by Boulerice, saying constituents should be represented by a Quebecker.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.