Citing unspecified “recent familial circumstances that require my presence and commitment for the coming months,” Vaudreuil Liberal MNA Marie-Claude Nichols announced Tuesday she will not be a candidate for re-election in October.
Nichols becomes the only sitting Liberal MNA not running again in the provincial election this fall, though former Liberal Marwah Rizqy (Saint-Laurent) is also not running again, and former Liberal Sona Lakhoyan Olivier (Chomedey) has yet to announce her plans.
“A resident of the region for more than 30 years and involved in politics for almost 20, including 12 as MNA, it’s not without emotion that I announce my departure from public life today. I have been fully involved in the heart of my region, particularly with our local organizations and businesses, but also with our municipalities,” she wrote in a statement.
Nichols, 52, was mayor of Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot from 2009 until 2014, and Liberal MNA since then. In 2022, she was expelled from the party by then-leader Dominique Anglade after refusing a role of transport critic. She was reintegrated into the caucus in 2025 shortly after Pablo Rodriguez was elected the party leader.
In her statement, Nichols took pride in the creation of the Vaudreuil-Soulanges hospital, which she said was a major motivation as MNA. She thanked her constituents, her staff, National Assembly staff, Liberal Leader Charles Milliard, and her family, including her two children, her partner and her mother.
“Today, I’m going home. I’m packing my small suitcase and fully immersing myself in daily life with my family,” she wrote.
Her decision brings to 47 the number of MNAs choosing not to seek re-election in the 125-seat assembly.
