About Yves-François

60 years old

Hometown: Drummondville, Québec

Yves-François Blanchet was born in Drummondville, Québec. He studied anthropology and history at the University of Montreal, before getting involved in politics through the National Youth Committee of the Parti Québécois. Before entering full-time politics, he worked in the music and entertainment industry, starting artist agencies and representing performers like Éric Lapointe. From 2003 to 2006, he was president of the Québec Association for the Music, Show, and Video Industry (ADISQ). In 2008, he was first elected to the Québec National Assembly as a member of the Parti Québécois and in 2012, he became the Minister of Sustainable Development, the Environment, Wildlife, and Parks. He moved to federal politics in 2019, becoming leader of the Bloc Québécois. He was elected by acclamation, meaning no one ran against him. He has been the Member of Parliament for Beloeil-Chambly since 2019.

To help families and people with low-incomes deal with the rising cost of living, the Bloc Québécois wants to double the GST/HST credit when inflation gets too high.^[3]

They also want to remove the federal tax on second-hand items and take steps to lower credit card interest rates.^[3]

The Bloc Québécois wants the federal government to increase the amount of money it gives to provinces and territories for healthcare by 35%. They are also asking for control of the federal dental care program in Quebec, so that it can be included in the RAMQ (Quebec's health insurance board) and help lower management costs.^[1][2]

The Bloc also plans to change the Criminal Code to allow people with serious degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's, to ask for medical assistance in dying (MAID) in advance, so they can receive it later if they are no longer able to make decisions.^[3]

The Bloc Québécois is committed to helping people who lose their jobs because of the trade war with the United States. They suggest giving money (called grants) to businesses affected by tariffs so they can keep their workers. This money would come from counter-tariffs, which are taxes Canada puts on U.S. goods in response.^[3]

The Bloc wants to expand Canada's trade and build a stronger economy by working more with Europe and Asia-Pacific countries.^[4]

The Bloc Québécois supports the carbon tax and encourages other provinces to join Québec's carbon pricing system. They want to stop giving money to oil and gas companies and instead make them pay a tax to help cover the damage they have caused to the environment. They also want to charge extra taxes on products coming into Canada, if they created a lot of greenhouse gases (GHG) when they were made.^[3]

The Bloc Québécois opposes any new pipeline projects that would cross Quebec, including the Energy East project. The Bloc also proposes that every federal decision be evaluated based on the objectives of the Paris Agreement.^[3]

The Bloc Québécois wants asylum seekers to be shared more fairly between provinces. They want to improve how asylum applications are handled by making the process faster and making stricter rules for who can apply. The Bloc wants to create a special emergency team in the Ministry of Immigration to help refugees more quickly during major crises. The Bloc also wants to create a new role called the Minister of Borders, who will be in charge of border services.^[3]

The Bloc would change immigration targets so that provinces would only take in as many immigrants as they could take care of. They would also give money back through tax credits to new graduates and newcomers who move to smaller towns or regions.^[3]

The Bloc supports Canada allocating 2% of its GDP on defence spending by 2030, in line with the ​NATO spending target.^[3]

The Bloc supports the purchase of F-35 fighter jets from the United States, but they would demand that the manufacturer provide the source code of the planes to Canada. The source code is the basic programming of the aircraft.^[3]

The Bloc wants stronger punishments for human traffickers and those who commit family violence. They also want to make sure serious crimes have minimum jail time and aren’t dropped just because the court takes too long.^[3]

The Bloc will change the Emergencies Act so that it can only be used if the provinces involved agree.^[3]

The Bloc supports the independence and freedom of Ukraine.^[3]

The Bloc wants to make sure that trade deals must be shared and voted on in the House of Commons before they become official. They also want Quebec to have a say during the negotiation of any trade agreement.^[3]

The Bloc Québécois will ensure that the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission are respected.^[3]

The Bloc would spend more money to support Indigenous police forces to keep people safe, to build homes that can handle extreme weather and to protect Indigenous languages and traditions.^[3]

The Bloc Québécois will require AI tools to say the sources they use. They will also review the laws about how AI can use other people’s work.^[3]

The Bloc wants to review the Privacy Act, which protects the personal information of Canadians held by the government, to make sure it can deal with the problems caused by new technologies.^[3]

The Bloc Québécois wants to bring back public funding for political parties.^[3]

The Bloc wants more people from minority groups to be part of public institutions. However, the party also wants to remove diversity, equity, and inclusion rules in the federal government, and instead choose candidates based only on their skills and abilities.^[3]