Battle of the Blocs? Bloc Quebecois contests name of Balarama Holness' new party
Federal political party Bloc Quebecois is officially contesting the name of the new provincial party led by Balarama Holness, Bloc Montreal.
In a letter sent to elections officials, Bloc Quebecois president Johanne Deschamps said the similarities between the two party names would only cause confusion.
"Some voters might be led to believe that it could be linked to our party," Deschamps said.
But the issue goes beyond potential mixups in the ballot box, she added: part of Bloc Quebecois' opposition stems from how very different its political platform is from that of Bloc Montreal.
"Our values are radically opposed, whether on language, regional development or our ambitions for the future of Quebec, making any resemblance between the names of our two political formations all the more unjustifiable and damaging."
Bloc Quebecois, headed by Yves-Francois Blanchet, is a federal party devoted to Quebec sovereignty and Quebec nationalism. Bloc Montreal, meanwhile, is a provincial party that has vocally opposed language law Bill 96.
Both Balarama Holness and a spokesperson for Bloc Quebecois confirmed the contestation of the name to CTV News.
Holness, a former mayoral candidate with his municipal party Mouvement Montreal, took to Twitter Thursday night to address the issue, stating the complaint has "no legal basis."
He will hold a press conference early Friday morning to provide further comment.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
Manitoba government tables bill to end ban on homegrown recreational cannabis
Manitoba is planning to lift its ban on the home growing of recreational cannabis.