The Bloq snubs national anthem in Parliament

As per convention, when the House of Commons congregates every Wednesday, each session commenced by members uniting in the recitation of Canada’s national anthem. The National Telegraph has received exclusive information that the Bloq Québécois failed to attend the singing of the anthem, gesturing towards their disregard for Canada and the sustainability of our federation. Although the spiteful act is unsurprising for a party committed to realizing Québec sovereignty, it is outright disrespectful for all Canadians, setting a tendentially worrisome pattern surrounding the Bloq’s commitment to collaborate with other party’s to adequately govern the country. 

The Bloq, the CAQ, and Separatism

In the 2019 federal election, the Bloq Québécois bewildered many political pundits when it surpassed expectations by winning an impressive 32 seats. Despite the result being partly due to Andrew Scheer’s difficulty in resonating with Francophone voters, it was chiefly because Bloq leader Yves-Francois Blanchet capitalized on Premier Francois Legault’s popularity in Québec. 

Since beginning his mandate, the Premier has resurrected the subdued nationalist fervour and brought it to the forefront of Quebec politics. Thus, in place of separatism, Legault’s provincial government has prioritized fighting for more regional autonomy, a benign threat to federalism. And in so doing, the CAQ has formulated Bill 21, legislation that would enforce “laicite,” a distinctively Québécois approach to secularism and the parity between church and state. Since its embryonic stage, the law has drawn a myriad of opposition that gradually rippled outside Québec. Nevertheless, Bill 21 is a testament to the CAQ’s popularity as it is supported by 64% of the province’s citizenry.

Throughout the campaign,  Blanchet diverged his attention to reassuring the Québec citizenry that he would defend Bill 21 against federal interference. As aforementioned, despite being subject to scrutiny, the massive legislation support, and any attempts employed by the federal government to override, it would lead to another federal crisis. In sum, the Bloq Québécois’s ascendency can be credited to Francois Legault’s CAQ. 

MP Yurdiga: Respecting the anthem is crucial to our national image

At its core, the essence of a national anthem is to unify the population by ushering a fidelity to the country, and an ode to patriotism. Among other factors, the national anthem is a desideratum for any given nation to survive. 

The Bloq Québécois is a separatist political identity, and it would be characteristically undemocratic for active regional parties to be disqualified from participating in elections. That said, failing to attend the national anthem is egregiously disrespectful. Québec is no longer poised to secede from Canada, and as the bonafide stewards of provincial representation and interests in Ottawa, the Bloq’s Caucus should’ve at least been in attendance. 

As evident, provincial nationalism and a dedication to upholding federalism can coexist, and Blanchet’s actions have all but demonstrated that he is unwilling to acknowledge this simple fact. 

Lastly, by snubbing the national anthem, Blanchet and the Bloq have cast themselves as a hostile opposition that transcends partisanship subsequently, thwarting the potential for inter-party collaboration to govern Canada better and keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in check.

Conservative MP David Yurdiga commented on the incident, stating, “It’s sad when we see the Bloq refuse to participate. Whenever someone goes to a sporting event, it’s customary to stand for the anthem out of respect. The Bloq’s choice to be completely absent is damaging to our national image.”

“The Bloq has always been a negative party. They only concentrate on the interests of some of Québec’s population, but for Canada to prosper, we need participation from all provinces.”

Yurdiga added:

“You’re either part of Canada, and the whole country benefits, or not. We can’t begin to pit one province against another. If the Bloq’s platform doesn’t respect Quebec laws, then the Québécois are being shortchanged. Importantly, they don’t represent the majority opinion of the Québec people because they’ve been resistant to playing a positive role in unifying the country.”