MONTREAL – If Canadians elect a minority government on Oct. 19, the leader of the Bloc Quebecois says his party would be open to supporting a coalition with the NDP or the Liberals, but not the Conservative party.
Gilles Duceppe says things have changed since 2004 during the time of Paul Martin’s Liberal minority government, when Duceppe signed a pact with Conservative Leader Stephen Harper and NDP Leader Jack Layton.
He said that after watching Harper lead a majority government over the last four years, he sees little common ground between his party and the Conservatives.
As for the possibility of a coalition with either the NDP or the Liberals, Duceppe said “we’ll see,” while adding the Bloc would not write “a blank cheque” to anyone.
Duceppe was in Montreal for his party’s general council meeting, where members are expected to adopt their electoral platform and finances behind closed doors Monday afternoon.
READ MORE: 2 Conservative candidates dropped Monday after urination incident, prank call videos
The Bloc will also unveil their official campaign slogan and the visual elements to appear on candidates’ campaign posters, which were delivered Sunday night.
Duceppe will deliver a speech to rally his troops, but he staunchly insists his party’s morale remains high despite trailing in the polls.
“They are very, very motivated,” he said of his candidates, adding they have been more present in their ridings than their rivals from the national parties.
“There are still six weeks left in the campaign,” he said. “That’s longer than a normal campaign, so I have confidence we’ll convince people,” he said.
The Bloc Leader will open his campaign office Monday evening in Laurier-Sainte-Marie, the riding he represented for nearly 20 years before losing his seat to the NDP’s Helene Laverdiere in 2011. Hughes was Canada’s flagbearer for the opening ceremonies of the Vancouver Olympics. Since retiring from competition Hughes has become an advocate for mental health, drawing on her own experience with depression.
WATCH: The Bloc Québécois is asking Quebecers to look back and remember all that the party brought them during its years in Ottawa.
Comments