Bloc head calls for abolition of monarchy following death of Queen Elizabeth II

While most Members of Parliament focused on the highlights of Her Majesty’s legacy while paying respects, Bloc Quebecois leader and Beloeil—Chambly MP Yves-François Blanchet pointed out the Crown’s troubled relationship with Quebec and took the opportunity to suggest that perhaps the institution of monarchy itself had outlived its usefulness.

During his speech in the House of Commons on Thursday, Blanchet expressed his condolences to those mourning the Queen’s death but stated that Bloc Québécois MPs would not be participating in any tributes, citing the British monarchy’s “thorny and cruel” history with La Belle Province.

Thus, following a moment of silence, BQ MPs filed out of the chamber. According to the National Post, while a motion was passed officially offering condolences and support for King Charles, Blanchet suggested that the monarchy should be done away with.

“Let’s arrive in the twenty-first century and see that any power which is supposedly based on divine right, which has so much influence and is so terribly expensive, might be considered as something of the past,” he said.

Blanchet further explained his reasoning on Twitter.

“We cannot ignore a history of conquest and aggression against the people of New France who became the Quebec nation,” he wrote.

“Today, the English monarchy is neither friend nor foe: useless, dilapidated, expensive, and hostile to our values. Respect, yes, but it must end.”

In contrast, Carleton MP and recently elected leader of the Conservative Party Pierre Poilievre suggested that the monarchy was a necessary institution.

“The separation of symbolic authority from political power allows partisan politics to be contested fearlessly without threatening the enduring constitutional order,” he said.

“The Crown preserves parliamentary democracy and the commoners practice it, as we do here in this place.”