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A federal Green Party candidate and MP has said Quebec should separate from Canada “as fast as possible”.
Pierre Nantel, who was elected in the Longueuil−Saint−Hubert riding for the NDP in 2015, was only confirmed as a Green candidate last month.
The NDP expelled him in August after they learned he was courting at least one other party.
Nantel’s comments about Quebec independence came during a conversation with host Benoit Dutrizac of QUB radio about Quebec’s new secularism legislation, which forbids some public sector workers from wearing religious symbols on the job.
Green Party leader Elizabeth May has criticized the bill but said she would accept "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”.
Following that statement, Nantel said: "Let’s separate as fast as possible. But as long as we are here, let’s defend Quebec in the Canadian context."
Dutrizac seemed surprised by the comment, asking Nantel him why he hadn’t joined the Bloc Quebecois.
Nantel replied: "If I wanted to organize for Quebec independence, I would have gone into provincial politics. We’re talking about federal politics here."
A representative from the Green Party was not immediately available for comment.
– With files from the Canadian Press
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