Political weight of Quebec

“Conservatives and liberals are united today with a single common goal: to weaken Quebec’s weight in the Canadian federation. Quebec now knows that when it comes time to vigorously defend Quebecers’ representation in Ottawa, they can count on neither the Conservative nor the Liberal Party,” criticized Gabriel Ste-Marie, MNA for Joliette.

The Bloc Québécois’ bill came after the announcement of the redrawing of Elections Canada’s proposed electoral map, removing a federal tab in Quebec. The proposed scenario then predicted that Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario would win five seats. The decision drew criticism from across Quebec’s political class.

“If Quebec resigns, French resigns; The relative weight of French in the Federal Parliament is declining. In a growing legislature, protecting the weight of the Quebec nation should not only have meant Quebec not losing seats, but gaining them to maintain its current weight. After the Liberals and Conservatives said they recognized the nation of Quebec in a June 2021 vote on a bloc motion, they are now refusing that nation to maintain its political weight in the federal legislature: it just won’t pass,” criticized Mr Ste- Marie.

In March, the Bloc Québécois passed a motion by 261 votes demanding that any scenario that would result in “reducing Quebec’s political weight in the lower house” should be rejected.

“After voting in favor of our proposal, Justin Trudeau and Candice Bergen confirm today that it was all about ‘the show’. Our bill made it possible to respect the very spirit of the motion, but Liberals and Conservatives chose to betray their voice by opposing our bill. Remember that the House has recognized that Quebec is a nation. Ottawa misses another opportunity to secure 25% of Quebec’s political clout. It’s a lack of respect for all Quebecers and our nation. The bloc will continue to fight to ensure that Quebec can affirm and protect its values ​​while maintaining its political clout,” concluded Gabriel Ste-Marie.