Québec debout

(Redirected from Québec Debout)

Québec debout, sometimes styled Québec Debout (transl. Stand Up, Quebec or Rise Up, Quebec), formerly the Groupe parlementaire québécois (transl. Quebec Parliamentary Group) was a Quebec-based parliamentary group in the House of Commons of Canada during the 42nd Canadian Parliament which consisted of members who resigned from the Bloc Québécois caucus.[1][3] The group did not have a formal leader, but Rhéal Fortin acted as the group's spokesperson.[4] The group was dissolved on September 17, 2018 with all remaining Québec debout MPs rejoining the Bloc Québécois caucus.[5]

Québec debout
FoundedFebruary 28, 2018
(As the Groupe parlementaire québécois)
June 6, 2018
(As Québec debout)
DissolvedSeptember 17, 2018
Split fromBloc Québécois
Merged intoBloc Québécois
IdeologyRegionalism[1]
Quebec nationalism[2]
ColoursLight blue

Formation of the Groupe parlementaire québécois

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The Groupe parlementaire québécois (GPQ) was formed on February 28, 2018 by seven Members of Parliament (MPs) who resigned from the caucus of the Bloc Québécois (BQ) due to their opposition to the leadership of Martine Ouellet, as well as political differences with her strategy of emphasizing the party's stance regarding active advocacy for Quebec sovereignty rather than a pragmatic approach that focuses on the practical interests of Quebec.[6][7][8]

While the seven MPs left the BQ parliamentary caucus, they initially remained members of the BQ party itself and had expressed the desire to remain so.[9] The BQ party executive, in a meeting one week after the group's formation, ruled that the seven defecting MPs would not be expelled from the party for leaving the caucus, and would be allowed to rejoin the caucus in the future.[10]

Québec debout, proposed new party

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On May 1, 2018, the seven MPs announced that they were severing all ties with the BQ and considering founding a new political party.[11] The GPQ members announced on May 9, 2018 that their new party would be registered under the name "Québec debout" and would no longer include Quebec sovereignty in its platform.[1][12]

Following Ouellet's decision to resign after losing a leadership review, Terrebonne MP Michel Boudrias and Mirabel MP Simon Marcil announced that they would rejoin the Bloc Québécois caucus.[13] The same day, citing the Bloc's vote to focus exclusively on Quebec sovereignty, Québec debout spokesman Rhéal Fortin announced that he and the party's other four MPs would not rejoin the Bloc Québécois.[13]

The five Groupe parlementaire québécois MPs were formally redesignated as Québec debout MPs in the House of Commons on June 6, 2018.[citation needed] On September 17, 2018, they rejoined the Bloc Québécois caucus.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Marotta, Stefanie (May 9, 2018). "Bloc rebels announce new party name and abandon the separatist program". CBC News. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  2. ^ "Seven former Bloc MPS want to call their new party Quebec Debout".
  3. ^ "Les sept démissionnaires du Bloc se nommeront Québec Debout". Le Journal de Montréal (in Canadian French). Agence QMI. May 9, 2018. Retrieved 2018-05-19.
  4. ^ "Ex-Bloc MPs name spokesperson, no leader - The Hill Times". The Hill Times. 2018-03-21. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  5. ^ a b "5 Bloc Québécois MPs who quit party returning to the fold". CBC News. September 17, 2018. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  6. ^ Ballingall, Alex (February 28, 2018). "Seven of 10 Bloc Québécois MPs quit caucus in protest of leader Martine Ouellet". Toronto Star. Retrieved March 2, 2018. Hours later, the seven protesting MPs assembled in the House as independent members who now refer to themselves as the Groupe parlementaire Québécois.
  7. ^ Grenier, Éric (March 1, 2018). "How the Bloc's split will affect the 2019 election". CBC News. Retrieved March 2, 2018. The seven MPs who left the party — reducing the Bloc to only three sitting members, fewer than the four seats the Bloc was left with after 2011 — will now sit as a 'Quebec Parliamentary Group'. They say they will focus on defending Quebec's interests, which was how the Bloc Québécois' role was defined under former leader Gilles Duceppe.
  8. ^ Vastel, Marie (March 2, 2018). "Le Bloc ne fait pas le poids devant les dissidents". Le Devoir (in French). Retrieved March 2, 2018.
  9. ^ "Le Bloc Québécois refuse d'exclure les députés dissidents". HuffPost Québec (in Canadian French). The Canadian Press. March 3, 2018. Archived from the original on March 4, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  10. ^ "Bloc Québécois national office rallies behind Martine Ouellet". Montreal Gazette. The Canadian Press. March 3, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  11. ^ Crete, Mylene (May 1, 2018). "Seven ex-Bloc Quebecois MPs considering forming new party". The Globe and Mail. The Canadian Press. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  12. ^ "Seven former Bloc MPs want to call their new party Quebec Debout". Montreal Gazette. The Canadian Press. May 9, 2018. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  13. ^ a b "Two of seven MPs who quit the Bloc Quebecois returning to the party". The Canadian Press. June 6, 2018. Retrieved June 6, 2018.