On the 20th anniversary of the Bloc

The obsessive Gilles Duceppe gets a bursary for young separatists named in his honour.

The obsessive Gilles Duceppe gets a bursary for young separatists named in his honour.

In an emotional speech, Duceppe saying he was touched to be honoured in the theatre named after his late father, a beloved actor and proponent of Quebec independence. “Quebec’s time will come,” said Duceppe, vowing to continue to crusade “with determination and passion to build a sovereign and proud Quebec.”

He denied that support for sovereignty is flagging among youth, pointing to a meeting of 300 young sovereignists at the Université du Québec à Montréal over the weekend – the largest youth rally for sovereignty since 1995.