Quebec Premier François Legault on Thursday urged the Bloc Québécois to help topple the federal Liberal government and trigger an election, saying Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continues to disrespect the will of the province.
Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet responded moments later, rejecting that call and saying he serves Quebecers "according to my own judgment."
Legault's comments are in reaction to plans by Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to put forward a motion of non-confidence in the government on Sept. 24. If both the NDP and Bloc support it, the minority Liberal government would fall and Canadians would head to the polls in a general election.
For the past several months Legault has come out strongly against Trudeau, accusing the prime minister and the Liberals of interfering in matters of provincial jurisdiction and refusing to address a sharp rise in asylum seekers and other temporary immigrants in the province.
In his demand to Blanchet, Legault summoned Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, whose provincial party is ideologically aligned with the Bloc, both of which campaign for Quebec independence.
“I'm asking Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon to have courage and ask his Bloc Québécois comrade to back down, not to support the Trudeau government next week, to defend the interests of Quebecers and the Quebec nation," Legault said.
"Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon has a duty to stand up, to be courageous and to call out Mr. Blanchet."
Blanchet, however, has other plans. He says he wants to squeeze the Liberals to get as much as he can for Quebec, in exchange for the Bloc's support in Parliament. On Wednesday, Blanchet said he would not support the Tories' motion.
The Bloc leader affirmed that position Thursday, saying "it's still no," adding that Poilievre's motion to defeat the government isn't about Trudeau's failures on immigration.
Later, in Quebec City, St-Pierre Plamondon said he supported Blanchet's strategy and would not call on him to join the "Conservatives of Alberta." He said there is no use in toppling the Trudeau government.
"Whether it’s Poilievre or Trudeau, we would get nothing and regress on a linguistic, financial, environment or social level," the PQ leader said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
— By Joe Bongiorno in Montreal