Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet Scores 97.25 Percent in Confidence Vote

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet scored 97.25 percent in a confidence vote at his party’s national convention on Saturday.

It was the first test of his leadership since Blanchet was acclaimed leader of the sovereigntist party in January 2019.

Under Blanchet, the party has won 32 seats in back to back federal elections in 2019 and 2021.

During a speech earlier in the day, Blanchet sought to bring together all sovereigntists in the different parties, describing his party as a one-stop shop for all sovereigntists but insisting the Parti Québécois was the party’s “main vehicle in Quebec.”

The members adopted a proposal to that effect, recognizing the Bloc’s role is to bring separatists of all stripes under one roof while recognizing its historical links to the PQ, whose leader, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, addressed the convention on Friday.

More than 100 proposals are up for debate during the convention which will wrap up on Sunday in Drummondville, Que., about 100 kilometres northeast of Montreal.