OTTAWA – The Member of Parliament for Ahuntsic, Maria Mourani, who signed a document critical of Quebec’s proposed Charter of Values, has been expelled from the Bloc Quebecois caucus.
The expulsion was confirmed Thursday by party leader Daniel Paille.
“Maria Mourani has made comments that do not reflect the position of the Bloc Quebecois,” he noted.
“Far from being, as she said, a grave strategic error of the sovereignty movement, or worse a manifestation of ethnic nationalism, the Quebec Charter of Values is a necessary and fundamental step for the nation of Quebec.”
READ MORE: Full analysis, comment and details on the proposed Charter of Values
Mourani – who represented one-fifth of the much-reduced Bloc Quebecois caucus – warned Wednesday that the charter would do “grave” damage to the sovereignty movement.
She said the independence movement has spent years courting minority groups and this risks undoing all that work. She also criticized the religious-symbols plan on its own merits.
“This will create systemic discrimination… especially against women,” Mourani told the French-language CBC news network.
“This is a very bad move for Quebec independence,” she added.
Mourani has said she will comment on her expulsion on Friday.
– With files from La Presse Canadienne and The Canadian Press
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