Martine Ouellet made her candidacy for the leadership of the Bloc Quebec official on Sunday as she dropped off the paperwork necessary to launch her bid.
Candidates must obtain 1,000 signatures from party members in at least 25 riding and pay a $15,000 deposit.
The current Parti Quebecois MNA had announced her candidacy in February after two unsuccessful bids to lead the PQ. She has garnered the support of seven Bloc MPs, including Xavier Barsalou-Duval and Monique Pauze.
Ouellet said she believes the Bloc is set for a province-wide resurgence and Quebecers allegiance to the NDP, which surprised many by winning 58 seats in Quebec in the 2011 federal election.
In the 2015 election, the NDP held onto 16 seats in the province.
"I'm not alone. I have a whole group that is with me. It's people that are really energized and they do things and have audacity and are open-minded to try new things," said Ouellet. "The orange wave? I think that's finished now. We don't see any enthusiasm here in Quebec for the NDP anymore, that's finished."
Ouellet also took shots at the prime minister, saying Quebecers are getting a glimpse of "the real Justin Trudeau."
"I'm pretty confident that for the Canadian Liberal Party, with all that Justin Trudeau is doing now, he said one thing during the election and is doing the reverse now," she said.
Only one other candidate has entered the race to succeed Gilles Duceppe thus far. Felix Pinel ran under the Bloc banner in the Riviere-des-Mille-Ile riding in 2015 but was defeated.
Nominations are open until March 15 and the election for the new leader will take place on April 22.
- WIth files from The Canadian Press
