Québec Solidaire MNA Françoise David announced Thursday that she's quitting politics for health reasons.
"Since the beginning of the fall of 2016, I have felt a fatigue that has never left me," she said. "I am less and less able to handle the stress and the rhythm inherent to the political life. The media whirlwind exhausts me."
David, 69, was the longtime head of the Quebec Federation of Women before helping to found the left-wing Québec Solidaire party a decade ago. She was first elected to the National Assembly in the Montreal riding of Gouin in 2012, and served as one of the party's co-spokespeople — the party has two spokespeople, in place of an actual leader. She represented the party in the leadership debates during the 2012 and 2014 election campaigns.
She says that while she has no immediate plans for the future, she does intend to remain involved in Quebec society.
"As I reflect on the road ahead, one word stands out: confidence," she said. "Confidence in our collective ability to build a better Quebec."
David comes from one of Quebec's most prominent families — her sister Hélène David is the Liberal MNA for the neighboring Outremont riding, and is the minister for higher education.
Their father, Paul David, was a cardiologist who founded the Montreal Heart Institute in 1954, and a federal Progressive Conservative senator in the 1980s. Their grandfather, Athanase David, was a Liberal member of the Quebec legislature for 20 years beginning in 1916, and a Liberal senator after that. He was also a one-time president of the Montreal Canadiens and co-owned the Montreal Royals baseball team.
Their great-grandfather, Laurent-Olivier David, was also a Liberal member of the Quebec legislature and a Liberal senator, appointed in 1903 on the advice of Sir Wilfrid Laurier.