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Leader of the Bloc Québécois

Yves-François Blanchet

  • Member of Parliament
  • Leader of the Bloc Québécois
  • Bloc Québécois
  • Beloeil—Chambly
  • Quebec
  • Voting Attendance: 56%
  • Expenses Last Quarter: $98,385.23

  • Government Page
Context: House Hansard - 199 - May/17/23
Mr. Yves-François Blanchet (Beloeil—Chambly, BQ)
  • May/17/23 2:24:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I learned, that we learned of the passing of historian Frédéric Bastien yesterday. He was just 53. An outspoken historian, a debunker of reheated myths that do not stand up to scrutiny, cool yet merciless before adversaries of the Quebec nation, Frédéric was keen to ask uncomfortable questions even at the risk of being the target of those who feared him for his reading of history. A harsh critic of hypocrisy, Frédéric ferreted out groups funded by Ottawa to denigrate Quebec, create and spread a false narrative to put us down. He shed light on the wavering impartiality of judges on Bill 21. He stood up against Toronto when it attempted to fund the legal challenge against Bill 21 before the Supreme Court. Frédéric Bastien also published works such as La bataille de Londres, in 2013, on the coup by the Supreme Court against Quebec during the patriation of the Constitution. The impact of that book earned him the title of patriot of the year from the Société Saint‑Jean‑Baptiste. In other circles people came to fear his truths and demonize him. His kindness will be missed by all those who knew him, and his intelligence, sternness and courage will be missed by all of us Quebeckers. His passing leaves a cruel void in the heart of his family. His discipline and powers of reflection now extinguished, it will be up to us to pull together and carry on his work. On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I offer my condolences to all those who loved and respected him.
293 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
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