With its balance of power restored, the Bloc says it is open to negotiating with Justin Trudeau

Photo: Spencer Colby The Canadian Press Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet in the foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Wednesday, May 8, 2024

Michel Saba – The Canadian Press in Montebello

Published at 10:44 p.m.

• Canada

A few days before a parliamentary session that will be marked by the tearing apart of the agreement that allowed Justin Trudeau’s Liberals to stay in power thanks to the support of the New Democrats, the Bloc Québécois is pleased to regain its balance of power and has announced that it is ready to bargain for its support during confidence votes. And the political party led by Yves-François Blanchet has already drawn up its list of demands.

“We are very happy,” says Bloc parliamentary leader Alain Therrien on the phone in an interview with The Canadian Press on the eve of his party’s pre-sessional caucus that begins Monday in Montebello, in the Outaouais region.

Mr. Therrien explains that this is a “window of opportunity” that is opening for the Bloc as the Liberals will “truly” become a minority government again.

“Our objectives remain the same, but the means to get there will be much easier,” he says. “We will negotiate and seek gains for Quebec. (…) Our balance of power has improved, that’s clear.”

But a Bloc strategist who was granted anonymity by The Canadian Press because he was not authorized to speak publicly was much more blunt. “They (the NDP) have officially given us back a balance of power, (…) the balance of power,” he said.

And, in the Bloc, it seems, they take it as a fait accompli that the result of the next election – which should take place within a year at the most – will be a majority Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre.

“It will happen with or without Quebec,” our source continued. “They (the Conservatives) are 20 points ahead everywhere in Canada, with the exception of Quebec, and that will not change. (…) Their vote is firm.”

While Mr. Poilievre’s troops are promising to multiply the confidence votes in the hope of triggering a general election in the country, the Bloc’s strategy will not be to “go into pre-election mode” and “rush to elect a majority Conservative government.”

They will instead consider themselves to have been elected for a four-year term and intend to use their newfound power to make what they consider to be gains for Quebec.

It is not surprising that the Bloc sees excellent news in the tearing up of the agreement that allowed the Liberals to govern without listening to their demands, explained political scientist Geneviève Tellier of the University of Ottawa.

“The Bloc only has influence if the government, no matter which one, is a minority,” she explained. “In the case of a majority government, the Bloc's relevance becomes more difficult to justify because, like the other parties, it can oppose, it can demand accountability from the government, but it cannot influence the government's policies.”

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However, this support will not come without anything in exchange: there will be “conditions,” they warn in Bloc Québécois offices. The Liberals can now start taking notes.

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The Bloc wants the government to seek royal recommendation for their Bill C-319, which aims to increase the pension for seniors aged 65 to 74 to the same level as that paid to those aged 75 and over.

A bill with budgetary implications that comes from a member of Parliament, as is the case here, must necessarily obtain the royal recommendation before third reading, failing which the rules provide that the Speaker of the House will end the proceedings and rule it inadmissible.

“That's a hobby horse,” says Mr. Therrien. “We have a bill on that, so it's not nebulous, it's not enigmatic. (…) The government, if they give it to us (the royal recommendation), it's possible that if there's a vote of confidence, we could perhaps let them pass this time.”

The Bloc also wants Quebec to obtain more powers in immigration matters, particularly in the area of ​​temporary foreign workers. He also wants to go “to get the money that the federal government owes us.”

These demands regarding seniors’ pensions and immigration powers are “easy, feasible and clear,” Mr. Therrien insisted. “It’s clear that it will be on the table.” I can tell you: I’m the one who’s going to negotiate.”

But the Bloc also has in mind “eliminating the colossal financial aid” to the oil companies, providing more funding for health care as the provincial premiers are demanding, and limiting or eliminating Ottawa’s encroachment on provincial jurisdictions.

Watching your back

On the electoral front, the Bloc intends to swell its ranks – which currently consist of 32 MPs – essentially by hunting on Liberal territory.

They want to wrest Gaspésie-Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine-Listuguj from Fisheries Minister Diane LeBouthillier, but also Québec-Centre from Public Services and Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos, as well as make gains in Estrie.

They will have to watch their backs, however, as the Conservatives make no secret of the fact that they are after their lunch.

The route taken by Pierre Poilievre's recreational vehicle, which looked like an election caravan and crisscrossed Quebec this summer, speaks volumes on this subject. The device, in which he even gave interviews, displayed a photo of Mr. Poilievre with his family, the colours and logo of his party as well as his message of “common sense” in French and English.

“The Conservative Party is going to play on the Bloc Québécois' toes,” notes Professor Tellier. She specified that Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean and the greater Quebec City region are fertile ground for them, particularly because the attraction of having a voice at the decision-making table can appeal if there is a feeling that the Conservatives could form a majority government.

Mr. Poilievre is also placing a lot of emphasis on the Trois-Rivières riding, where he wants to elect former mayor Yves Lévesque.

In order not to lose ground, our source explained that his political party will have to demonstrate that it is “more connected to the priorities of Quebecers than any other party” and that it is “the only one” that speaks for Quebecers, works for them and has the proposals they want.

In an interview, his parliamentary leader went on the attack, mocking the Conservative leader’s “extremely general messages” and his reluctance to answer questions directly.

“This is complete nonsense,” said Mr. Therrien. For example, when he keeps repeating that he's going to fix the budget, “he's going to do it, with a screwdriver.”

According to him, the Conservative leader will sooner or later be “obliged” during the election campaign to debate and explain his thinking. “What Quebecers are going to realize is that the Liberals and Conservatives are much more alike than Quebecers think,” he said.