Article content continued

I think we have to change strategies and bring back independence to the forefront

“We used the same wait-and-see approach for 20 years and it brought us to a very strong defeat of the Bloc Québécois in 2011 and a defeat of the Parti Québécois last April.

“I think we have to change strategies and bring back independence to the forefront.”

The Bloc chose Beaulieu, and his noted hardline independantiste approach, to help the party recapture dozens of seats it lost in 2011 when the NDP swept through Quebec.

His strategy will represent a shift for Quebec’s pro-independence political outfits, which have shied away from promoting the sovereignty project in recent years, as polls have suggested most Quebecers oppose the idea.

The Bloc, in particular, has considered itself as the protector of Quebec’s interests in Ottawa, not the vehicle to drive the independence movement. But with Beaulieu calling the shots, change is already underway.

Beaulieu, who gained notoriety as a vocal defender of French-language rights, aims to mount a “permanent, very major campaign” to promote independence under the Bloc banner, an aggressive approach he hopes will reunite sovereigntists who have splintered into smaller groups.

He said the party has around 20,000 members, far below its heyday enrolment of 100,000. He hopes his arrival will boost membership to 40,000 or 50,000 by the next election.

A party that boasted 54 of Quebec’s 75 MPs a decade ago, now has just four bodies in the House of Commons. In the next election, 78 ridings will be up for grabs in Quebec as Parliament expands to 338 seats.