A few hundred Bloc Québécois activists gathered in Drummondville on Sunday to choose a way out of the crisis that has shaken the party since seven of its ten MPs slammed the door two months ago.
Following hours of at-times acrimonious debate, the party agreed with the proposal made by Chief Martine Ouellet and its National Office: a vote of confidence on June 1 and 2, along with a referendum on the Bloc's mission to promote Quebec's independence.
Ouellet said she will stay on as leader if at least 50 percent of the party votes for her.
A proposal by 42 constituency associations, suggesting that the vote of confidence take place on May 15 - two weeks earlier - was rejected.
The associations have the support of MP and party chairman Mario Beaulieu, formerly a loyal ally of Martine Ouellet. The goal is to turn the page on the crisis as quickly as possible so that it can then rally the seven dissident MPs.
A third solution submitted by the youth wing of the party suggested getting rid of the negative label that sticks to the Bloc Québécois by reviving it under another name.
Ouellet's leadership has been questioned many times since the departure of the seven dissident MPs, but she has refused to resign.
According to Ouellet, the crisis is attributable to an internal conflict between two interpretations of the Bloc Québécois' mission, either as a promoter of independence or as a defender of Quebec's interests.
