Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois
MNA
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Nadeau-Dubois in 2020
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| Co-Spokesperson for Québec solidaire | |
| In office 21 May 2017 – 20 March 2025 |
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| Preceded by | Andrés Fontecilla |
| Succeeded by | Guillaume Cliche-Rivard (interim) |
| Member of the National Assembly for Gouin |
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| Assumed office 29 May 2017 |
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| Preceded by | Françoise David |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 31 May 1990 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Political party | Québec solidaire |
| Education | Université du Québec à Montréal (MSo) |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Awards | Prix impératif français (2013) |
| Nickname | "GND" |
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois (born May 31, 1990) is a politician from Canada. He was a co-spokesperson for the Québec solidaire party, a left-wing political group, from 2017 to 2025. He was elected as a member of the provincial legislative assembly on May 29, 2017. Before becoming a politician, he was well known for his part in the 2012 Quebec student protests. During these protests, he was a co-spokesperson for CLASSE. This was a large group of student associations. They were against a $1,625 increase in tuition fees. This fee hike was introduced by the government at the time. He left his role as spokesperson on August 9, 2012.
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Early Life and Interests
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois was born into a family of activists. His parents met through a Christian youth group. His father was also involved in environmental and union activities.
When he was young, Gabriel often went with his father to demonstrations and union meetings. He was supposed to do his homework there. Instead, he listened to the speeches. This sparked his interest in politics. He began reading the newspaper La Presse. He hoped to become an international journalist.
At Collège Regina Assumpta, a private school in Montreal, he earned good grades. However, he questioned many things. His father, Gilles Dubois, said he "was not a rebel." When the school wanted to choose student representatives, Gabriel argued that students should elect them instead. His idea was put into action the next year.
Student Life and Activism
In Fall 2007, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois joined the Association pour une solidarité syndicale étudiante (ASSÉ). He was a student at Collège de Bois-de-Boulogne. That year, his student association decided to leave ASSÉ. Gabriel tried to get them to rejoin, but he was not successful. Still, he was elected as vice-president of his student association. He was in charge of external affairs.
In 2009, he began studying humanities at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). To focus on student activism, he studied part-time. He received a Millennium Scholarship. From 2010 to 2011, he was elected to ASSÉ's newspaper committee. In April 2010, he became Communications Secretary and a spokesperson. In December 2011, he became a co-spokesperson for CLASSE. This group was part of ASSÉ. It opposed the tuition fee increase. He worked alongside Jeanne Reynolds.
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois first earned a degree in Humanities from UQAM. Then, he studied philosophy at Université de Montréal. In late 2016, he completed a master's degree in sociology at UQAM.
Role in the 2012 Student Protests
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From the start of the 2012 Quebec student protests, the media saw Nadeau-Dubois as a key figure. He was often mentioned with Léo Bureau-Blouin and Martine Desjardins. Officially, they were spokespersons. CLASSE used a system of direct democracy, meaning it did not have single "leaders."
Because he was seen as a leader, Gabriel faced many challenges. He received serious threats online and by mail. He sometimes had bodyguards at demonstrations for his safety.
By June, he felt very tired. He announced he would ask to continue as spokesperson for a short time. However, he planned to leave his position after the strike ended. He mentioned pressure from both inside and outside the movement. He found it interesting that the media focused so much on him. He felt he had the least power among the student leaders, yet he was watched the most.
Due to the constant attention, Nadeau-Dubois resigned as CLASSE spokesperson on August 9, 2012. In his resignation letter, he wrote that the strike had brought up important issues. He felt it questioned unfair systems. He also expressed disappointment that the government at the time was still in power.
Legal Challenges During Protests
During the protests, a student named Jean-François Morasse went to court. He wanted to continue his studies despite the strike. He got a court order allowing him to attend classes. Later, he took legal action against Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois. This was after Gabriel spoke on TV on May 13. Gabriel said it was right for students to act to make sure the strike was respected. He also said it was okay to use picket lines to ensure the strike vote was followed.
Even though the original court order was no longer active, a special law allowed legal procedures to continue. Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois said the situation was "sad and regrettable." He pleaded not guilty. On November 1, 2012, he was found responsible for not respecting the court order. He was sentenced to 120 hours of community service. However, this sentence was put on hold while he appealed the decision.
In January 2015, a higher court in Quebec overturned the ruling. Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois was cleared of the charges. The case was then taken to the Supreme Court of Canada. In October 2016, the Supreme Court decided in favor of Nadeau-Dubois. They stated that his comments about picketing did not mean blocking classes, which would have gone against the court order.
Political Career
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In the past, Nadeau-Dubois had said he was not interested in becoming a politician. He believed that being an activist in social movements was the best way to achieve social justice and free education. In March 2012, he told a journalist that traditional politics discouraged him.
After leaving his role as CLASSE spokesperson, Nadeau-Dubois worked for CSN-Construction. He mainly researched the history of worker agreements in construction.
In 2013, he received the Prix impératif français. This award recognized his dedication to making higher education available to everyone. It also honored his work for a fairer society.
In 2014, he won the Governor General's Award for French-language non-fiction. This was for his book Tenir tête, which was about the 2012 events. On a TV show in November 2014, he announced he donated his $25,000 award money. He gave it to groups fighting against the Energy East pipeline project. He also raised an additional $385,000 to support this cause. This pipeline project aimed to transport oil across Eastern Canada for export.
In March 2017, Nadeau-Dubois decided to seek a role in politics. He aimed to become a co-spokesperson for Québec solidaire. He also ran as their candidate in the Gouin area of Montreal. This seat was left open by Françoise David. Québec solidaire is a left-wing party that also supports Quebec's independence. He stated that other major parties were his opponents. He felt that Option nationale, another independent and left-leaning party, shared his views. Later that year, Option nationale joined Québec solidaire.
Nadeau-Dubois won the special election on May 29, 2017. He became the Member of the National Assembly (MNA) for Gouin. In the Quebec general election on October 1, 2018, he won Gouin again for Québec solidaire. He received 59.14% of the votes. He was the party's parliamentary leader until 2025. He was also the party's candidate for premier in the 2022 Quebec general election.
The party achieved its best results ever in 2022. It finished second in total votes for the first time. It won 15.4% of the vote and eleven seats. On March 20, 2025, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois resigned as male co-spokesperson. He also announced he would not run for re-election in the next general election.
Honours
- Prix Impératif français 2013.
- Governor General’s Literary Awards 2014 for Tenir tête.
See also
- 2012 Quebec student protests
- Association pour une solidarité syndicale étudiante
