MONTREAL - The president of a pro-Quebec independence group that aims to “protect and promote” the French language in the province announced Monday he is entering the race for the leadership of the Bloc Quebecois.
Mario Beaulieu, president of the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste, said he doesn’t believe the other candidate isn’t serious enough about sovereignty.
He says the only other candidate in the race, Bloc MP Andre Bellavance, wants to limit the role of the Bloc to one of an “advocate” for Quebec in Ottawa, something Beaulieu says plenty of other groups already do.
The Bloc, Beaulieu says, should focus its efforts on gaining independence.
“If we don’t promote independence, we weaken our cause,” he is quoted as saying in a news release.
By concentrating on that goal, Beaulieu believes the Bloc can increase the number of MPs after the fall 2015 election.
The Bloc currently holds four seats in the House of Commons.
