OTTAWA — Yves-François Blanchet, the leader of the Bloc Québécois, has expressed his willingness to meet with leaders of Alberta's pro-independence movement. This comes after a recent visit to Calgary by Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, the leader of the Parti Québécois (PQ).

On Wednesday, Blanchet mentioned that he had considered making a trip to Alberta himself but decided against it since St-Pierre Plamondon had already made the journey. "I thought about it, but I understand since Paul did it, it’s not necessary for me to do the trip," he told reporters on Parliament Hill.

Despite not traveling to Alberta, Blanchet stated he is "very open" to the idea of meeting and exchanging ideas with Alberta separatists. He emphasized the need for independentist leaders to articulate their goals and visions. "We have to start, all independentist voices and leaders, to explain who we are, what we want, the way we would do it and what would be the morning after," Blanchet said.

His comments follow St-Pierre Plamondon's two-day visit to Calgary, where he engaged with leaders of the Alberta Prosperity Project (APP). St-Pierre Plamondon's office confirmed that he assured the APP delegation he would respect the results of a successful referendum on Alberta's independence if he were to become premier. This marks a historic moment as it is the first time a PQ leader has publicly supported another province's independence movement.

The PQ is expected to perform well in the upcoming provincial election, anticipated for next fall. St-Pierre Plamondon has also pledged to hold a referendum on Quebec's independence during his first term if elected. He has criticized Blanchet for straying from the primary goal of Quebec independence, urging him to return to his "separatist roots" after the recent federal election.

Blanchet has not shied away from making remarks about Alberta's separatist movement. In May, when asked for advice for Alberta separatists, he suggested that their first challenge would be to "define oneself as a nation." He added, "Therefore, it requires culture of their own. And I’m not sure oil and gas qualify to define a culture," in a light-hearted manner.

Last September, during a public exchange with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, Blanchet even offered to coach her on how to better advocate for Alberta's interests in Ottawa.

Jeffrey Rath, a lawyer with the APP, welcomed Blanchet's openness to dialogue. "We would be pleased to meet with M. Blanchet. We see this as a furtherance of APP’s role to encourage dialogue on independence to better educate our fellow Albertans on how much better off we will be outside Canada," Rath stated.