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Montreal: Duceppe: New Quebecers must be embraced, he says

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  • Montreal: Duceppe: New Quebecers must be embraced, he says

    The Gazette (Montreal)
    June 8, 2005 Wednesday
    Final Edition

    PQ should reach out - Duceppe: New Quebecers must be embraced, he
    says

    by ELIZABETH THOMPSON, The Gazette

    The Parti Quebecois should do more to reach out to new Quebecers and
    other members of cultural communities, Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles
    Duceppe said yesterday.

    While Duceppe insists he has not yet decided to seek the

    PQ leadership left vacant Saturday by Bernard Landry's abrupt
    resignation, yesterday he staked out his first policy position.

    Responding to questions by reporters, Duceppe said the next PQ leader
    will have to reach out to Quebecers of various ethnic backgrounds.

    "We can all do better," Duceppe replied when asked whether the PQ
    could do more to reach out to new Quebecers. "We can all do better
    and the Liberal party and the ADQ as well. It is a question that is
    beyond political parties. It touches political parties and it touches
    all of our institutions."

    For example, Duceppe said both Quebec and Canada have to address the
    "unacceptable" unemployment rate in the black community.

    "I think it is part of the challenge of every modern society where
    there are people who have come from elsewhere. ... It is part of the
    Quebec to be built."

    Under Duceppe, the Bloc has invested a lot of time and effort in
    recent years in trying to garner support for the party among new
    Quebecers and cultural communities - a steadily growing percentage of
    Quebec's population and a group that in the past often gravitated to
    federalist parties.

    For example, Bloc MPs and candidates have taken up the cause of the
    Chinese community seeking redress for the head tax imposed on Chinese
    immigrants decades ago, introduced motions in Parliament condemning
    the Armenian genocide and helped domestic workers from the
    Philippines address problems with their working conditions.

    In his speeches, Duceppe has reached out to "Quebecers from
    immigration," making it clear they are included in his definition of
    a Quebecer.

    Those efforts began to bear fruit in the last election with the Bloc
    posting strong showings in a number of Montreal ridings that had been
    considered safe for the Liberals and succeeding in electing
    candidates from visible minorities such as Cameroon-born actor Maka
    Kotto.

    With another federal election looming, the Bloc has been reaching out
    even more and targetting highly multicultural Montreal area ridings.
    It has launched a campaign entitled "Quebecers without exception,"
    and at the party's general council meeting May 28, Duceppe called on
    his troops to get more Bloc MPs from cultural communities elected.

    As he weighs his options, Duceppe faces a difficult choice.

    If he runs, there is no guarantee he will win. Among Quebecers, he
    outpolls his nearest rival, Pauline Marois by nearly two to one. But
    Marois has deeper roots in the PQ and has had time to build a
    campaign machine among the party members who will choose the next
    leader.

    If he stays, however, Duceppe will be weakened. Liberals already have
    said that after years of criticizing the Liberal government, Duceppe
    now has the chance to show whether he can form a government himself.
    If he remains with the Bloc, his opponents will say he doesn't have
    the "guts" to run a government.

    Yesterday, however, Duceppe dismissed the comments.

    "When you are eager for an adversary to go, it is usually because
    you're afraid of the adversary."

    Duceppe said he is talking with a lot of people in a bid to make a
    decision including Lucien Bouchard, a founder of the Bloc who made
    the jump to Quebec City to become premier and leader of the PQ.

    "When I said I was going to consult people, it is normal for me to
    talk to people," he joked. "I'm not going to consult myself."

    Duceppe admitted he has also talked with some PQ MNAs.

    Today, Duceppe will discuss his future with his caucus - a step he
    has said is key to making a decision.
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