Bloc wants power in 'foreign parliament' before fulfilling Quebec independence

VAL-D’OR, Que. – Yves-François Blanchet makes no bones that he wants Quebec to become a country, and he believes that sitting in a “foreign parliament” will help the cause. But before tearing apart what he describes as an “artificial country with very little meaning,” he wants to hold the balance of power in the next House of Commons. The Bloc Québécois campaign has been troubled for some time now, and for several reasons. The ballot question surrounding the Canada-U.S. relationship and the fear of American annexation, plus the fact the Liberal leader interrupted his campaign three times to act as prime minister, are problematic for them. Advancing the party’s narrative has been a challenge in the last five weeks. Plus, there is the independence project, the Bloc’s “ raison d’être .” Its electorate is composed primarily of separatist voters, but also of nationalists who find in this party a tool to defend their nation on the federal stage. And even if those nationalist voters don’t want secession, they are proud of their representatives who defend them at every opportunity, particularly on issues of language, immigration, and state secularism. “I want to be home, and for a large number of Quebecers, for the past 30 years at different times, being home means being with the Bloc Québécois,” Blanchet told supporters at a Châteauguay restaurant Friday evening. But this time, U.S. President Donald Trump is changing everything. Fear seems to have given the Liberals the upper hand, and the rise of Canadian patriotism in the province has sidelined the independence idea. Most of the hundreds of questions Blanchet fielded over the past five weeks focused on strategy and polls. And then, independence came up. “The day after (the vote), I promise you that I will not declare Quebec’s independence. I swear it. That is not the purpose of the campaign,” he said. What Blanchet wants is a balance of power in a minority government, and then to work with the provincial party, the Parti Québécois, to elect a majority of sovereigntist members to the National Assembly of Quebec, “where independence can be achieved.” In an interview with National Post, the director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada said that talking about independence would be a “strategic error” for the Bloc in this context. “The fact that he doesn’t talk about sovereignty creates a certain opacity. But people know very well that they are sovereigntists,” said Daniel Béland. “If the Bloc holds the balance of power, it could create political instability and problems in Parliament, but also in Western Canada.” Not everyone agrees. Denis Trudel is a staunch separatist. He’s always happy to talk about Quebec independence. According to him, the more you talk about it, the more support it will garner, and the sooner Quebec will join the community of nations. It was therefore quite surprising that the incumbent Bloc Québécois MP and candidate in Longueuil—Saint-Hubert did everything he could to avoid discussing it when his leader visited him in his riding on Thursday. “This is not what I’m hearing about in Longueuil-Saint-Hubert right now,” he told us as he was waiting for his leader. Suddenly, Trudel was rushed to Blanchet’s bus by a Bloc staffer, abruptly interrupting our conversation. A tight schedule, we were told. After lunch, Trudel refused to speak to the national media, who were asked to return to their bus. Inside the restaurant, the candidate was speaking to a local reporter. The journalists turned around and went inside, even though the staffers threatened to leave without them. The scrum lasted a minute, and the question of Quebec independence was posed to him. “People aren’t talking about sovereignty, they’re talking about the cost of living,” he repeated, before the encounter was interrupted. Trudel is in a close race with the Liberal candidate. He is also known for his outspoken positions, such as when he suggested that the Liberal party posed a greater threat to Quebec than U.S. President Donald Trump. The media were then directed to their bus, where they sat in silence for more than 10 minutes. Tensions were running high. The Bloc campaign, arguably the most open to the media of all the federal parties, kept saying the schedule was tight. But that wasn’t the case. At his second press conference of the day, Blanchet knew the question would be asked: Why does there seem to be less appetite in talking about sovereignty? “There is a trial of intent in the question. Who tells you that we absolutely must not talk about sovereignty?” he replied, irritated. No one did. But the awkwardness was real. Shefford MP and candidate Andréanne Larouche was not pleased when asked about this during a subsequent media scrum. “We are not putting (the issue) aside, as Yves-François said; it is not in the House of Commons that it will be decided,” she said. Once again, the meeting ended abruptly. The schedule was tight, they said. Bloc supporters are aware that Quebec’s sovereignty will not be on the ballot. Of course, they want independence, but they also understand that Monday’s election will primarily be about Canada-US relations. The Bloc Québécois is a separatist party, the federal cousin of the Parti Québécois, the main vector for independence in Quebec. This provincial party has led the polls for more than a year and may form government in 2026. Moreover, PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon is one of the most popular politicians in Quebec. However, St-Pierre Plamondon has been seen little during this campaign. In September, the man nicknamed PSPP headlined a large Bloc Québécois rally during the LaSalle-Émard-Verdun byelection. The Bloc won a surprise victory in this Liberal stronghold. “It’s not in our plans (to have him campaigning with us). But he supports me like I support him, it’s public,” Blanchet said, without adding if he would benefit from his presence on the campaign trail. A few hours later, PSPP published a long letter on social media in support of the Bloc and pleading that “Mark Carney poses an existential threat to Quebec.” He argued that Carney “would set Quebec back” with his policies on immigration, government spending, and interference with provincial language and state secularism laws. “I don’t see in what parallel universe we would come to the conclusion that we can trust him enough to give him a blank check,” he wrote. “Achieving Quebec independence is a matter of linguistic and cultural survival for Quebec. This is what I am working toward and will continue to work toward in the coming years,” he continued, adding that he is unequivocally supporting the Bloc and that Quebecers should give Blanchet’s party the balance of power. The PQ did not answer an interview request. In this election, Blanchet has been presenting himself as the ultimate watchdog for Quebecers. What is good for Quebec, he will defend. What isn’t good, he will oppose. “As long as we are part of Canada, and we get elected in this Parliament, we are entitled to any right and privilege and opportunity being provided by the persons who vote, and I will relinquish none of them,” Blanchet said. 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