Blanchet stands by comments calling Canada an ‘artificial country’

Watch Liberal Leader Mark Carney address a crowd and take questions from reporters just days before the federal election,

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet is doubling down on calling Canada an “artificial country” despite being denounced by other federal party leaders.

During a campaign stop in Val-d’Or, Que., Saturday morning, Blanchet called Canada a “post-national nation” when asked if he regretted his remarks.

“It’s a non-nation, a country which denies its own identity, and ironically, with a central government which wants to control the jurisdictions of every province, slowly but surely, and with major parties who use mainly immigration as a tool to have a more fragile working force,” Blanchet said in English.

“Within that presently, there’s a strong nation identifying itself as a nation, and a proud one. If everybody in this present country was to do like us, the dynamic of politics in Ottawa would be quite different.”

He added that Canada failed to make Quebecers like any other Canadians, “so maybe this country is a bit artificial.”

Blanchet first made the controversial comments on Friday when he was asked about previous remarks he made referring to the House of Commons as a “foreign parliament” that he sits in.

“We are, whether we like it or not, part of an artificial country with very little meaning, called Canada,” Blanchet said in English during a campaign stop in Shawinigan, Que.

“It’s a foreign parliament because this nation is not mine,” he added. “I don’t feel more at ease in the Canadian Parliament than (Alberta Premier Danielle) Smith would feel at ease in the National Assembly of Quebec.”

When asked on Saturday why he made the comment when throughout the campaign he has said he wanted to be a good ally to Canada, Blanchet said calling Canada an “artificial country” was not meant as an insult.

“It’s meant as an observation of the fact that the different regions of these countries have different issues pulled together in order to serve mainly Ontario and (with) an intention from Ottawa to concentrate powers in Ottawa instead of respecting regions,” he said.

According to the latest Nanos research polling, Blanchet’s sovereigntist party is behind the Liberals in Quebec.

Carney, Singh respond

Liberal Leader Mark Carney said he rejects comments made by Blanchet.

“I reject them completely. This is an incredible country. I’m incredibly proud to be Canadian,” Carney said during a campaign stop at Seneca Polytechnic in King City, Ont., on Saturday morning.

“We have done incredible things. Those who came before us have done great things to create this kind, diverse, ambitious, humble country. And what I would look to be part of is this process that is underway of the country coming together, of unifying. And I want to support that, not divide.”

Meanwhile, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh called Blanchet’s comments “offensive.”

“We got Donald Trump attacking us. We don’t need attacks from the inside like that,” the NDP leader said when asked during a campaign stop in London, Ont. on Saturday morning.

“To bolster the attacks of a foreign government that impact Quebecers as much as it impacts Canadians is the wrong thing to do.”

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston also weighed in, releasing an open letter in which he called Blanchet’s remarks “insulting.”

When asked if he will respond to Houston’s letter, Blanchet said he will not.

Those who claim Canada not a real country are ‘wrong’: Carney

During his remarks on Saturday morning, Carney slammed people on both sides of the border who claim that Canada is not a real country.

This week, U.S. President Donald Trump said he was “not trolling” with his 51st state remarks.

“They couldn’t be more wrong,” the Liberal leader said. “Canada is more than a nation. We are a confederation. We are a sacred set of ideas and ideals built on practical foundations.”

Carney then called for unity in this “critical election.”

“I am asking you to vote for me for positive reasons – regardless of which party you’ve voted for in the past,” he said.

Later, when asked how he will reach out to Conservative voters if he becomes prime minister on Monday, Carney quipped: “Well, they’re not going to have to forage for food,” before saying that the leader of the country works for every Canadian regardless of who they voted for.

Carney was referring to Pierre Poilievre’s recent attacks on Liberals. Citing a report from January, which laid out a plausible future where inequality has widened even further, the Conservative leader has said this week that a fourth Liberal term could lead to people foraging for food on public lands.

“So if I’m humbly speaking, if I gain that confidence through our system, absolutely, we’ll work for all Canadians,” Carney said.

The Liberal leader has a packed schedule on Saturday, making several stops in the vote-rich Greater Toronto Area. The Liberals’ lead over the Conservatives has narrowed as the campaign is down to the wire.

Carney even evoked the NHL playoffs when asked about his busy campaign itinerary.

“We are in the equivalent of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup in the last two minutes,” Carney said.

“It’s all to play for, and (I) intend to leave everything on the ice.”

With files from Joshua Freeman