Mr. Blanchet doesn’t run a sprint; for him, it’s a marathon, with Quebec independence at the finish line.Andrej Ivanov/Reuters
Fabrice Vil of Montreal is an Ashoka Fellow, a columnist at La Presse and was a lawyer in civil and commercial litigation from 2007 to 2013.
Until recently, the prevailing wisdom was that the Bloc Québécois was a dead party. On Monday, it rose from the grave. Under the leadership of Yves-François Blanchet, 32 MPs were elected, granting the Bloc official party status for the first time in the better part of a decade.
“I think we’re full of life,” Mr. Blanchet said in his election-night speech.
Many political observers believe Mr. Blanchet is not interested in holding the first independence referendum since 1995 – that if such a thing were to happen in this day and age, it would come from Alberta or Saskatchewan. But I am not so sure. A renewed push for independence is not impossible.
Such a push is not imminent, however. During Monday’s speech, Mr. Blanchet mentioned that the Bloc would not obstruct Canadian federalism. He also clearly stated that achieving sovereignty was not the Bloc’s immediate goal.
In any event, a Quebec referendum must be led by the Quebec government. The Coalition Avenir Québec, which is in power at the provincial level, does hold strong nationalist views, and some believe that it is now the best vehicle to lead Quebec to independence, even though the party has no declared intention to drive that effort.
This does not preclude the Bloc Québécois from advancing the sovereigntist movement.
On the final day of the federal campaign, Mr. Blanchet said Quebec “will have to once again consider giving itself all the attributes of sovereignty.” He echoed this line in his speech on Monday.
Mr. Blanchet doesn’t run a sprint; for him, it’s a marathon, with Quebec independence at the finish line.
First, the Bloc will depict Quebec as fundamentally different from the rest of Canada, cultivating the idea that we do not belong together. Doing so doesn’t require that the Bloc seek any conflict, but rather flows naturally from efforts made during the campaign. According to Mr. Blanchet, “The profound difference between the Quebec nation and the Canadian nation is such that it does not need to be exacerbated.”
During the campaign, the Bloc successfully conveyed the importance of preserving Quebec’s interests. Over time, even if all parties in Parliament try their best effort to collaborate, some disagreements between the Bloc and other parties may expose issues in which Quebec’s interests call for its independence.
Priorities such as the protection of the French language and the investment in clean energy are popular in the province. This last idea, in particular, highlights how increasingly difficult it is for Canadians from different regions to co-exist within the same country.
We are already witnessing seeds of this potential division. Alberta and Saskatchewan largely support an oil and gas economy, while Quebec is firmly opposed to pipelines running through its territory. The Liberal government’s stand on this issue, if unfavourable to Quebec, might convince many in the province that only sovereignty can fully guarantee their wish to protect the environment.
The sovereigntist movement is nevertheless unlikely to succeed unless it mobilizes Quebeckers from diverse origins who are not part of the province’s historically French Canadian majority. The Bloc’s provincial cousin, the Parti Québécois, also recognizes that it must improve its relationship with ethnic minorities. The Bloc is faced with the same challenge, and on this front, will have to address some of the controversial elements that emerged during the campaign.
On Oct. 2, through a verbal statement by Mr. Blanchet, which was posted moments later by the party on Twitter, the Bloc Québécois encouraged voters in Quebec to support candidates “qui vous ressemblent” – a phrase that could mean either “who look like you” or “who are like you.”
While the call could be interpreted as an invitation to elect politicians who share the aspirations of Quebec, its language still suggests that the Bloc’s message originated from a party targeting only white French Canadian voters who seem to prefer white French Canadian politicians.
This perpetuates the impression that Quebec independence is a project that speaks only to a certain category of voters. If they want to succeed at their ultimate goal, the Bloc Québécois and provincial sovereigntist parties should more clearly acknowledge that all Quebeckers fit within their vision.
As a Quebecker of Haitian origin, I want to protect the French language, while also being multilingual. I value environmental justice, but also social justice, which includes an equitable treatment for all racialized and Indigenous Quebeckers. I believe that the Bloc Québécois can and must share these values.