Bloc Québécois facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Bloc Québécois

Abbreviation	BQ Bloc
Leader	Yves-François Blanchet
President	Yves Perron
House Leader	Christine Normandin
Founder	Lucien Bouchard
Founded	15 June 1991; 34 years ago (1991-06-15)
Headquarters	3750, Boulevard Crémazie Est Suite 502 Montreal, Quebec H2A 1B6
Youth wing	Forum jeunesse du Bloc Québécois
Membership (2014)	23,000
Ideology	Quebec pride and identity Social democracy Quebec independence Focus on Quebec issues
Political position	Centre-left
Regional affiliation	Parti Québécois (informal)
Colours	Light blue
Senate	0 / 105
House of Commons	22 / 343
Political parties

The Bloc Québécois (pronounced block kay-bay-KWAH), also known as the BQ or the Bloc, is a Canadian federal political party. This means it takes part in Canada's national elections. The party's main goal is to represent the interests of the province of Quebec. It also supports the idea of Quebec becoming its own independent country.

The Bloc Québécois was started in 1991. Its first members were politicians who left Canada's other major parties. They were unhappy when a plan to change Canada's constitution, called the Meech Lake Accord, failed. The party's founder was Lucien Bouchard, a former government minister.

The Bloc only runs candidates in Quebec. It believes this is the best way to make sure Quebec's voice is heard in the Canadian government. The party is considered centre-left, which means it supports social programs and government help for people.

For many years, from 1993 to 2011, the Bloc was the most popular party in Quebec. It held the third-most seats in Canada's House of Commons. In the 2011 election, the party lost most of its seats. However, it made a big comeback in the 2019 election, winning 32 seats and becoming the third-largest party again. In the 2025 election, its number of seats fell to 22.

The Bloc has a close, but informal, relationship with the Parti Québécois (PQ). The PQ is a provincial party in Quebec that also supports independence. People who support the Bloc are often called bloquistes.

What the Bloc Québécois Believes In
History of the Party
Relationship with the Parti Québécois
Party Leaders
Election Results
See also

What the Bloc Québécois Believes In

The Bloc Québécois has clear positions on many issues. Here are some of the main things the party supports:

Quebec Independence: The party's top goal is for Quebec to become a separate country.
Protecting French: It works to protect and promote the French language in Quebec.
Environment: It supports international agreements to fight climate change, like the Kyoto Protocol.
Social Issues: The party supports LGBTQ+ rights.
Government Changes: It wants to get rid of the Canadian Senate and the monarchy in Canada.
Secularism: The Bloc supports a Quebec law that stops public workers from wearing religious symbols at work.
Culture: It wants Quebec to be exempt from Canada's official Multiculturalism Act.

History of the Party

How the Bloc Started

Lucien Bouchard was the first leader of the Bloc Québécois.

The Bloc Québécois was created in 1990. It began as a group of politicians from the Progressive Conservative and Liberal parties. They were from Quebec and felt that an important deal to give Quebec more power, the Meech Lake Accord, had been rejected by the rest of Canada.

Lucien Bouchard, who was a minister in the government, led this new group. He and several other Members of Parliament (MPs) decided to form a new party. Their goal was to work for Quebec's interests and independence at the federal level in Ottawa.

The first Bloc candidate to win an election was Gilles Duceppe. He was elected in a special by-election in Montreal in August 1990.

Becoming the Official Opposition

The Bloc Québécois logo used from the 1990s to the 2000s.

In the 1993 election, the Bloc had amazing success. It won 54 out of 75 seats in Quebec. This made it the party with the second-most seats in the entire country. As a result, the Bloc Québécois became Canada's Official Opposition. This meant its job was to challenge the governing Liberal Party.

As the Official Opposition, the Bloc's MPs decided to speak only French in the House of Commons. This was a powerful statement about protecting Quebec's language and culture.

The 1995 Quebec Referendum

In 1995, the Parti Québécois government in Quebec held a special vote called a referendum. It asked the people of Quebec if they wanted to become an independent country. The Bloc Québécois and its leader, Lucien Bouchard, campaigned strongly for the "Yes" side.

The vote was extremely close. The "No" side won with just 50.6% of the vote. After the referendum, Bouchard left federal politics to become the Premier of Quebec. Michel Gauthier took over as leader of the Bloc, but he was soon replaced by Gilles Duceppe in 1997.

Years Under Gilles Duceppe

Gilles Duceppe was a founding member of the Bloc and its leader from 1997 to 2011.

Gilles Duceppe led the Bloc for 14 years. During this time, the party remained a strong force in Canadian politics. It consistently won the most seats in Quebec in federal elections.

In the 2004 election, the Bloc tied its record by winning 54 seats. In the 2006 election, the Conservative Party formed a minority government. This meant the Bloc held a lot of power, as the government needed its support to pass laws.

Duceppe and the Bloc continued to fight for what they saw as Quebec's best interests. They often criticized the federal government for spending money in areas that they believed should be managed by the province.

Losing Official Status

The 2011 election was a major turning point. A wave of support for the New Democratic Party (NDP) swept across Quebec. The Bloc lost most of its seats, winning only four. This was not enough to keep its "official party status" in the House of Commons, which requires 12 seats.

Losing this status meant the party had less influence and funding. Gilles Duceppe lost his own seat and resigned as leader. Over the next few years, the party struggled. By 2014, it had only two MPs left in its caucus.

A Difficult Period and Duceppe's Return

In 2014, Mario Beaulieu was elected leader. He wanted the party to focus more strongly on independence. However, his leadership style caused disagreements, and two MPs left the party.

With an election coming in 2015, the party asked Gilles Duceppe to return as leader. In the 2015 election, the Bloc won 10 seats. This was an improvement, but still not enough for official status. Duceppe again failed to win his own seat and resigned.

Rebuilding the Party

Map showing the Bloc's support in the 2015 federal election. Darker blue means more votes.

After Duceppe left, the party went through more leadership changes. In 2018, seven of the party's ten MPs quit the caucus over disagreements with the new leader, Martine Ouellet. The party seemed to be in danger of disappearing.

Later that year, the MPs who had left agreed to return. The party needed a new leader to unite everyone before the next election.

A Comeback with Yves-François Blanchet

In January 2019, Yves-François Blanchet, a former provincial government minister, became the new leader. He focused on connecting the Bloc's goals with the values of Quebecers, such as protecting the environment and the French language.

His leadership was a huge success. In the 2019 election, the Bloc won 32 seats. This was a massive comeback that made it the third-largest party in Canada once again. The party held onto its 32 seats in the 2021 election. In the 2025 election, the party's seat count dropped to 22, but it remained the third-largest party.

Relationship with the Parti Québécois

The Bloc Québécois and the Parti Québécois (PQ) are like close cousins. They both want Quebec to be an independent country. They often support each other during elections, and many people are members of both parties.

However, they are two separate organizations. The Bloc works in federal politics in Ottawa, while the PQ works in provincial politics in Quebec City. Several leaders, including Lucien Bouchard and Daniel Paillé, have been important figures in both parties.

Party Leaders

Election	Name	Term start	Term end	Riding while leader	Notes
—	Lucien Bouchard (b. 1938)	25 July 1990	16 January 1996	Lac-Saint-Jean	First leader Leader of the Opposition (1993–1996)
Interim	Gilles Duceppe	16 January 1996	17 February 1996	Laurier—Sainte-Marie	Interim leader Leader of the Opposition (1996)
1996	Michel Gauthier (1950–2020)	17 February 1996	15 March 1997	Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean	Leader of the Opposition (1996–1997) Gauthier resigned in March 1997.
1997	Gilles Duceppe (b. 1947)	15 March 1997	2 May 2011	Laurier—Sainte-Marie	Duceppe resigned as party leader after the 2011 election, in which he lost his own seat.
Interim	Vivian Barbot (b. 1941)	2 May 2011	11 December 2011	None (had just lost in Papineau)	Served as interim leader and president of the party. Louis Plamondon was acting leader in the House of Commons.
2011	Daniel Paillé (b. 1950)	11 December 2011	16 December 2013	None (had just lost in Hochelaga)	Stepped down as leader on 16 December 2013 because of health reasons.
vacant	vacant	16 December 2013	25 June 2014	N/A	Jean-François Fortin was the leader in the House of Commons.
2014	Mario Beaulieu (b. 1959)	25 June 2014	10 June 2015	None	Beaulieu gave up the party leadership on 10 June 2015 but remained party president.
Appointed	Gilles Duceppe	10 June 2015	22 October 2015	None (had just lost in Laurier—Sainte-Marie)	Returned as leader for the 2015 election.
Interim	Rhéal Fortin	22 October 2015	18 March 2017	Rivière-du-Nord
2017	Martine Ouellet (b. 1969)	18 March 2017	11 June 2018	Vachon (National Assembly of Quebec)	She resigned as leader after losing a leadership review vote in June 2018.
vacant		11 June 2018	13 June 2018
Interim	Mario Beaulieu	13 June 2018	17 January 2019	La Pointe-de-l'Île	Named interim leader after Martine Ouellet resigned.
2019	Yves-François Blanchet (b. 1965)	17 January 2019	present	Beloeil—Chambly	Elected without opposition.

Election Results

This table shows how the Bloc Québécois has performed in each federal election since it was created.

Election	Leader	Votes	%		Seats		+/-	Position		Status
Election	Leader	Votes	QC	CA	QC	CA	+/-	QC	CA	Status
1993	Lucien Bouchard	1,846,024	49.3	13.5	54 / 75 (72%)	54 / 295 (18%)	44	1st	2nd	Opposition
1997	Gilles Duceppe	1,385,821	37.9	10.7	44 / 75 (59%)	44 / 301 (15%)	10	1st	3rd	Third party
2000		1,377,727	39.9	10.7	38 / 75 (51%)	38 / 301 (13%)	6	1st	3rd	Third party
2004		1,680,109	48.9	12.4	54 / 75 (72%)	54 / 308 (18%)	16	1st	3rd	Third party
2006		1,553,201	42.1	10.5	51 / 75 (68%)	51 / 308 (17%)	3	1st	3rd	Third party
2008		1,379,629	38.1	10.0	49 / 75 (65%)	49 / 308 (16%)	2	1st	3rd	Third party
2011		889,788	23.4	6.0	4 / 75 (5%)	4 / 308 (1%)	45	4th	4th	No status
2015		818,652	19.3	4.7	10 / 78 (13%)	10 / 338 (3%)	6	4th	4th	No status
2019	Yves-François Blanchet	1,387,030	32.4	7.6	32 / 78 (41%)	32 / 338 (9%)	22	2nd	3rd	Third party
2021		1,301,598	32.1	7.6	32 / 78 (41%)	32 / 338 (9%)		2nd	3rd	Third party
2025		1,236,338	27.7	6.3	22 / 78 (28%)	22 / 343 (6%)	10	2nd	3rd	Third party