Bloc Québécois leader heads to Democratic convention in Chicago

Photo: Sean Kilpatrick The Canadian Press Yves-François Blanchet plans to pay attention to the Democratic political organization during the party convention in Chicago.

Émilie Bergeron – The Canadian Press in Ottawa

Published yesterday at 7:08 a.m.

• Canada

Bloc leader Yves-François Blanchet is going to the Democratic convention in Chicago on Tuesday after being invited.

“It's a huge privilege to be here,” he said in an interview with The Canadian Press.

Mr. Blanchet plans to make new contacts during the “political festival” and also hold other meetings on the periphery of the event, which runs until Thursday.

As Parliament approaches in September in Ottawa, the discussions he will attend could serve as “important inspiration.”

“The slowdown of the Republicans, the rise of the Democrats with Kamala Harris will also change a lot how we will do politics this fall in Canada and Quebec,” Mr. Blanchet anticipates.

He also plans to pay attention to the entire Democratic political organization, mentioning that collaborators of former President Barack Obama have returned to service.

“So the whole way of doing political strategy, using social networks, the work of mobilization, I am very curious to see how the Democrats work, because yes, it can influence the way we do politics in Quebec.”

Mr. Blanchet expects, during his stay, to address energy issues and climate change.

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He also sees his presence at the Democratic convention as something that is part of continuity with an “approach” that he says he has been working on since becoming leader of the Bloc Québécois, namely to “rebuild credibility for the idea of ​​sovereignty.”

“My desire is not to tell Americans that they should or should not support the idea of ​​Quebec sovereignty. […] I want the Quebec team to be recognized as a potential partner, ally, responsible and credible,” Mr. Blanchet summarized.

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Five years after his arrival as Bloc leader, he believes that “we feel that the Bloc Québécois has credibility with the United States.”

“The reasoning is quite comparable in France, where we are also received at Foreign Affairs, at the Quai d'Orsay, and the proof or indication of that is that they obtained access for me to the Democratic Congress.”

The convention is an opportunity to formalize Kamala Harris and Tim Walz’s candidacies for president and vice president.

Incumbent President Joe Biden, who was present to deliver a speech Monday night, gave up his reelection bid in July after facing pressure for weeks following his dismal debate performance against Republican nominee Donald Trump.

Biden’s presence at the Democratic convention was expected to be little more than a handover exercise, as the president was expected to sit out the event.

Harris, for her part, is expected to present her vision for the future of the United States. Democrats are hoping the convention will boost their support, capitalizing on the reinvigorated energy of the party that has united behind Mr. Biden’s candidate. Recent polls show Democrats doing well in key swing states like Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

With reporting from Kelly Geraldine Malone in Washington