MONTREAL -- Former Parti Quebecois cabinet minister Yves-Francois Blanchet will confirm he is running for the vacant Bloc Quebecois leadership, The Canadian Press has learned.
Blanchet will confirm his intentions later today in the foyer of the House of Commons where he will be accompanied by at least two Bloc MPs.
So far, five of the 10 members of the Bloc caucus have confirmed their support for Blanchet should he decide to run.
A well-known political commentator on Radio-Canada in recent years, he was first elected provincially in 2008 and served as environment minister in Pauline Marois' short-lived minority PQ government between 2012 and 2014.
Blanchet was critical of former Bloc leader Martine Ouellet during her tumultuous run as party leader, so those loyal to her could be displeased by his arrival.
Interim Bloc leader Mario Beaulieu has been attempting to bridge the factions within the party for the past eight months.
