Bloc Quebecois as official Opposition? Leader says Canadians 'don't have to fear us'
CTV
Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet says he's staying modest about the prospect of his party forming official Opposition in the next federal election, though it would be a 'spectacular' result.
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet says he's staying modest about the prospect of his party forming official Opposition in the next federal election, though it would be a "spectacular" result.
"I refuse to see the election in terms of pride or a trophy, or to claim to be part of history," he told The Canadian Press in a year-end interview.
As Justin Trudeau's minority government teeters and polls point to a possible collapse of the Liberal vote, Blanchet said he's staying focused on earning the confidence of Quebecers. "Quebecers will give us a mandate, and we'll carry it out responsibly by always repeating to ourselves, I hope, that we have to live with modesty," he said.
The most recent projections from poll aggregator Canada338.com show that if an election were held today, the Conservatives led by Pierre Poilievre would win a crushing majority of 232 seats. The site suggests the Bloc is running a distant second with 45 seats — but ahead of the Liberals with 39, the NDP with 25, and the Greens with two.
If such a scenario were to come to pass, the anti-monarchist, Quebec-focused sovereigntist party would become His Majesty's Loyal Opposition, and Blanchet would get the keys to Stornoway, the Opposition leader's official residence in Ottawa.
"If that happens, I can only say that we respect institutions … while having already said that the Senate should be abolished, that the monarchy in Canada should be abolished," he said, adding, "but we are not there to break the toys."
Blanchet said his party would carry itself with a "positive and constructive attitude," while continuing to advocate for Quebec sovereignty.
You may not notice the rumbling and the shaking, but hundreds of earthquakes hit eastern Canada every year.
It's been quite the year for B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad – his party soaring from less than two per cent of the popular vote and no seats in the 2020 election to nearly winning this year’s election.
Halifax Regional Police is investigating a sudden death in Dartmouth, N.S.
Travel advisories are in effect for parts of south and central Saskatchewan on Friday, with icy roadways and the risk of freezing rain making for dangerous driving conditions.
Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet says he's staying modest about the prospect of his party forming official Opposition in the next federal election, though it would be a 'spectacular' result.
A nine-year-old girl has died in hospital after the vehicle she was in was struck by a stolen vehicle fleeing from police.
Environment Canada extended a freezing drizzle advisory Friday for areas in and around Greater Sudbury and North Bay.
Amid a housing crisis that has Canadian policymakers and developers scrambling to bolster supply, those living with disability are urging leaders to enshrine accessibility into more newly built homes than the country has historically seen.
The Sarnia Police Service (SPS) had an early morning call on Christmas Day, as reports were received of an injured man following a stabbing.
The Ottawa Police Service says the victim who had been killed on Christmas Day in Hintonburg has been identified.
A B.C. woman has been awarded nearly $750,000 in damages in a dispute with a contractor who strung her along for a year and a half and failed to complete a renovation, according to a recent court decision.