Bloc Québécois

Canadian federal political party active only in Quebec

The Bloc Québécois (BQ) is a federal political party based in Canada that mainly believes and advocates Quebec can secede from Canada, also known as Quebec sovereignty.[1] The Bloc was created by Members of Parliament (MPs) from the national Progressive Conservative Party and the Liberal Party. They were angry that the Meech Lake Accord could not pass.[2] The party is considered to be centre-left. The leader of the party is currently Yves-François Blanchet.

Bloc Québécois
LeaderYves-François Blanchet
PresidentYves Perron
FounderLucien Bouchard
FoundedJune 15, 1991 (1991-06-15)
Split fromProgressive Conservative Party of Canada, Liberal Party of Canada
Headquarters3750, Boulevard Crémazie Est Suite 502 Montreal, Quebec H2A 1B6
Youth wingForum jeunesse du Bloc Québécois
Membership19,000
IdeologyLeft-wing nationalism
Quebec sovereigntism
Quebec Nationalism
Social democracy
Regionalism
Souverainism
Environmentalism
Political positionCentre-left
ColorsLight Blue
House of Commons (seats in Quebec)
32 / 78
Senate
0 / 105

History

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The Bloc Québécois was founded in 1991 by Lucien Bouchard, who also became its first leader, in order to represent and advocate the Quebec sovereignty movement at the federal level in the Parliament of Canada. The Bloc was always the party with the biggest number of seats in Quebec between 1993 and 2011, and again since 2019. They are usually the second or third biggest party in the House of Commons. In the 2011 federal election, the party won only 4 seats. In the 2019 federal election, the party won 32 seats.[3] In the 2021 federal election, the party won 32 seats in the House of Commons.[4]

Relationship with the Parti Québécois

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The Parti Québécois is a provincial political party in Quebec to which it is allied. The Parti Québécois also wants sovereignty for Québec. Although the two political parties are separate organizations, they help each other during elections.

Party leaders

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References

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  1. "Bloc Quebecois could change name as sovereigntist party looks to rebuild". The Canadian Press. Montreal: The Globe and Mail. November 5, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  2. Gall, Gerald L. (February 7, 2006). "Meech Lake Accord". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  3. Forrest, Maura (October 22, 2019). "Huge Bloc Québécois win shows a major shift in the province". National Post. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  4. Jeudy, Lucy (October 6, 2021). "Canadian federal election results in Québec 2021". Statista.com. Retrieved October 11, 2022.

Other websites

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