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Green party Leader Elizabeth May denies that her candidate for the Longueuil—Saint-Hubert riding is a sovereignist, despite MP Pierre Nantel telling an internet radio show he wants Quebec to separate from Canada as soon as possible.

“He is not a separatist; he’s a strong Quebecer within the context of Canada,” she said at the launch of her federal election campaign in Victoria on Wednesday.

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Nantel’s comments about Quebec independence came during a conversation on QUB radio about Bill 21, which forbids some workers in the public sector from wearing religious symbols on the job.

May has criticized the bill, but said she would allow “dissension” within party ranks on the issue. Nantel said he made sure before joining the Greens that he could openly support Bill 21, adding that he had told May she needed to “defend the nationalism of Quebecers in Ottawa.”

“Let’s separate as fast as possible,” Nantel said. “But as long as we are here, let’s defend Quebec in the Canadian context.”