OTTAWA — Quebec Premier François Legault is calling on the Bloc Québécois to reverse course and trigger a federal election.

Speaking to reporters Thursday morning, Legault called on Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon to “have some courage” and tell his “comrades” in Ottawa to vote for a non-confidence motion that will be put forward by the Conservatives next week.

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said that his party does not intend to support that motion, thus ensuring that the minority Liberals have enough votes to stay in power.

Legault expressed frustration with the high numbers of immigrants coming to his province and what he claims are “non-significant” actions from the federal government on the immigration file in recent months which he says is threatening the French language.

“Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon has to duty to stand, to be courageous and to call out Yves-Francois Blanchet,” he said.

Blanchet reacted in a statement on X said that his answer is still “no.”

He said he is not a Conservative nor is he a Liberal or a CAQ supporter — but the leader of the Bloc. He said he is serving Quebecers according to his “sole judgement” and that the non-confidence motion does not even mention the Liberals’ failings in immigration.

Legault did not answer questions from reporters as to whether he would prefer a Conservative government.

More details to come…

National Post
[email protected]

Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what’s really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up here.

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our newsletters here.