Bloc Quebecois as official Opposition? Leader says Canadians 'don't have to fear us'

Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet says he's staying modest about the prospect of his party forming official Opposition in the next federal election, though it would be a 'spectacular' result.

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet says he's staying modest about the prospect of his party forming official Opposition in the next federal election, though it would be a "spectacular" result.

"I refuse to see the election in terms of pride or a trophy, or to claim to be part of history," he told The Canadian Press in a year-end interview.

As Justin Trudeau's minority government teeters and polls point to a possible collapse of the Liberal vote, Blanchet said he's staying focused on earning the confidence of Quebecers. "Quebecers will give us a mandate, and we'll carry it out responsibly by always repeating to ourselves, I hope, that we have to live with modesty," he said. 

The most recent projections from poll aggregator Canada338.com show that if an election were held today, the Conservatives led by Pierre Poilievre would win a crushing majority of 232 seats. The site suggests the Bloc is running a distant second with 45 seats — but ahead of the Liberals with 39, the NDP with 25, and the Greens with two.

If such a scenario were to come to pass, the anti-monarchist, Quebec-focused sovereigntist party would become His Majesty's Loyal Opposition, and Blanchet would get the keys to Stornoway, the Opposition leader's official residence in Ottawa. 

"If that happens, I can only say that we respect institutions … while having already said that the Senate should be abolished, that the monarchy in Canada should be abolished," he said, adding, "but we are not there to break the toys."

Blanchet said his party would carry itself with a "positive and constructive attitude," while continuing to advocate for Quebec sovereignty.