Article content

JONQUIÈRE — On the eve of the Jewish high holidays, Parti Québécois Leader Jean-François Lisée was once again defending embattled candidate Michelle Blanc, but this time over perceived anti-Semitic rhetoric.

The party made public Sunday a letter it received from B’nai Brith Canada that highlighted statements Blanc made on Twitter and as a blogger.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Quebec election: PQ's Lisée slams B'nai Brith on eve of high holidays Back to video

In a 2011 tweet, Blanc wrote: “merde, I forgot to celebrate Hitler’s birthday last week.”

In a 2007 blog post titled Am I racist?, Blanc complained at length about the Hassidic community, saying: “It would be much simpler for them and for me if they disappeared from my view, like they seem to want to do the impossible and make me disappear from their view.”

The letter also highlighted a deleted tweet from Blanc, telling people if they wanted to “Vote White,” that her name is Michelle.

B’nai Brith asked Lisée to withdraw Blanc as a candidate in Mercier riding, and asked for a response by Sept. 12 — the day before the first French-language television debate.