Five who quit Bloc Québécois rejoin sovereigntist party

OTTAWA — The Bloc is back.

The final holdouts from the Bloc Québécois rejoined the sovereigntist party on Monday as Parliament resumed from its summer recess.

All 10 of the Bloc MPs elected in 2015 are now back in the fold after leadership turmoil split them apart this year.

“Are we better off serving Quebec united or divided?,” asked interim Bloc leader Mario Beaulieu, accompanied by most of the returning cast at an Ottawa news conference. “To ask the question is to answer it.”

Members met in Ottawa late Sunday to hammer out the details.

The sovereigntist party had been in turmoil since February, when seven of its members quit over the leadership of thenleader Martine Ouellet.

Bloc MPs were unhappy with Ouellet frequently talking about independence as opposed to concentrating on how to defend Quebec’s interests within the current Parliamentary system.

They were also critical of her leadership style and accused her of being intransigent.

Ouellet stepped down in June after garnering the support of just 32 per cent of members during a leadership vote.

Two of the dissidents, Michel Boudrias and Simon Marcil, returned to the party shortly after her departure and the final five followed Monday.

Since August, the party had embarked on a mission to bring back the remaining members, forming an executive that included those who were in favour of Ouellet’s leadership and those who were opposed