Denis Lebel Skewers Gilles Duceppe and Bloc Quebecois

In noting that it's been 20 years since the Bloc Quebecois first entered Parliament, Denis Lebel, the Conservative cabinet minister from Roberval-Lac-Saint-Jean tore into the Bloc Quebecois and its leader Gilles Duceppe, in an opinion piece written in the Quebec City Daily le Soleil.

If you read French, take a look at it over HERE.

I'm providing a translation because I think the piece is not only noteworthy but entertaining as well. Outside of Quebec, it seems that the only thing that gets publicity is separatist rants and nationalistic outbursts, but it's important to remember that there are more federalists in Quebec than sovereignists.
Although the Bloc Quebecois hold two-thirds of the seats in Quebec, they did it with only 38% of the vote. We just don't seem to hear from the 62% of Quebeckers who voted for a federalist party.

"August 13 marks the twentieth anniversary of the election of Gilles Duceppe as MP. At the time, he told Radio-Canada: " I had a funny feeling when entering Parliament. I told myself: I'm probably the first one to enter this forum hoping to spend as little time as possible." Link

In 1994, in an interview with La Presse, he added that "Nobody in the Bloc has been elected to make a career out of  it." 

Apparently for Gilles Duceppe it's "do as I say and not as I do!"

The Bloc leader has now been in federal politics for 20 years. He'll retire one day with one of the most lucrative pensions ever awarded by the Canadian Parliament. This is particularly ironic, the country that Duceppe wants to break up, will serve him personally quite well.

Behind this sad anniversary, there is a fundamental issue for Quebeckers. Where do we want Quebec to position itself over the next few years? It's been 20 years since Gilles Duceppe and his troops have wasted Quebec's political capital in Ottawa.

When I hear Mr. Duceppe complain loudly on the issue of representation in the House of Commons because our Conservative government wants to respect the principle of representation by population, I can only reply that it is by electing MPs of a party that aspires to form a government that one can increase the political weight of Quebec.

Breaking the deadlock;

As a former mayor of Roberval, I myself have chosen to make the leap into federal politics because the riding of Roberval - Lac-Saint-Jean was mired in stagnation caused by the Bloc. I decided to submit my candidacy to try to resolve issues once and for all.

Since 1993, the Bloc has enjoyed a majority of the seats in Quebec. What have they done with this political clout? We know they have made no promises and have delivered nothing.

If Gilles Duceppe was at least able to prevent things, then we could fall back on these minimal results.

However, it is with a Bloc majority that the fiscal imbalance was created and it is thanks to the Harper government that it has been settled. Gilles Duceppe and his party didn't stop the Liberals from stealing from Canadians in the biggest political scandal in Canadian history. The Bloc did not stop the Liberals from drastically increasing greenhouse emissions and the Bloc did not stop the Liberals from encroaching on provincial jurisdiction.

Mr. Duceppe and his colleagues criticize the government, sitting in the grandstands, but to score goals, you've got to be on the ice.

The weight of the years is beginning to bear heavy on the shoulders of Duceppe. This is obviously a disappointed man that has failed to achieve any of his objectives.

We parliamentarians from Quebec are proud to be Quebeckers who believe in this beautiful country of Canada. We have a duty to continue to work hard, door by door, handshake by handshake, to convince Quebeckers that it would be preferable to have more members on the team that forms the government, in a party whose motives are not dysfunction and quarrels.

Denis Lebel, Conservative MP for Roberval - Lac-Saint-Jean 

Minister of State for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Region of Quebec "