Bloc Quebecois ready to extract gains for Quebec in exchange for supporting Liberals

The Bloc Québécois says its ready to wheel and deal with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s party for support during confidence votes now that the Liberal government’s confidence and supply agreement with the NDP has ended.

And the sovereigntist party led by Yves-François Blanchet has already drawn up a list of demands.

 In an interview ahead of Monday’s party caucus retreat in the Outaouais region, Bloc House Leader Alain Therrien says his party is happy to regain its balance of power.

He called the situation a “window of opportunity” now that the Liberals are truly a minority government.

New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh’s decision to back out of the confidence and supply deal last week leaves the Bloc with an opening, the party says.

While Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives have promised multiple confidence votes in the hope of triggering a general election, the Bloc’s strategy is not to rush into one and instead use their new-found standing to make what they consider to be gains for Quebec.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 8, 2024.