The Bloc Quebecois (BQ) has had a presence for years at the University of Ottawa, student activists say. But now, they’ve made it official. The U of O is now home to the first BQ student club outside Quebec.

Their approval as a club went without incident, despite some controversy.

“We fulfilled all the requirements, which [are] having a club constitution in English and French and having at least 15 members,” said the club’s secretary, Marie-Soleil Ouimet.

The clubs and activities office of the U of O student federation could not be reached for comment, but club founder Tristan Dénommée said the federation has received one complaint about the club.

“The federation got an e-mail,” Dénommée said. “There are people around here who say, ‘yeah, you just want to diss Canadians.’”

Dénommée, a political science student from Longueil, Que., started the process to found the club in mid-October, after first breaching the subject at a Bloc youth committee meeting in August. 

“All [federal political] parties are here, so why shouldn’t we have a Bloc Quebecois?” he said.

“We see ourselves as ambassadors for Quebec in Ottawa,” said Ouimet.  “We don’t want people to agree with us; we just want them to understand. University is a good place for that.” 

In addition to telling Canadians outside Quebec about their cause, the club also wants to speak to federalist Quebecers.

“Most [Quebecers] are scared of separation, and we need to educate them about it,” Dénommée said.

“The U of O is right beside Parliament,” Dénommée added. “It’s a great place to be involved in politics.” 

Ouimet and Dénommée said there are many reasons why Quebec should separate, but separation does not mean alienation from Canada.

“We see Canada as a partner,” Ouimet said. “But we’ve gone as far as we can in Confederation.” 

“We don’t want to build walls on the border and stay in our little country,” Dénommée said. 

The group said it wants to allay fears that it is exclusionary.

“There are Anglophone sovereigntists too,” Ouimet said. “We include the English and [ethnic minorities]. I wouldn’t be in the movement if it wasn’t inclusive.”

She said there is at least one anglophone in the group’s 25-member core.

“Independence is the best way for us to preserve our culture,” Ouimet said.

She said many decisions by the federal government do not represent the viewpoint of most Quebecois.

“We know Canada says it is bilingual, but it is not bilingual in practice,” she said. Dénommée doesn’t see a sovereignty referendum on the horizon in the next five years, but said he believes Quebec will eventually separate. After separation, he said, “it will be hard for the first couple of years, but nothing will change for the average Quebecer.”

He and Ouimet said they are certain that an independent Quebec will survive on its natural resources and the quality of its workforce.

The group has only had two meetings, but already received media attention from the likes of the CBC.

“I wasn’t expecting this kind of thing,” said Ouimet. “We haven’t even started to act yet.”

The group plans to spread its messages through informational materials and participating in campus debates. Later in the spring, Dénommée said they hope to have BQ party leader Gilles Duceppe speak on campus.