23 March 2000 Edition

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Leading Quebec politician joins Irish on march

Gilles Duceppe, Canadian MP and leader of the Bloc Quebecois Party, which holds 44 seats in the Canadian Parliament, marched with the Montreal Coalition for Peace in Ireland (CPI) in that city's St. Patrick's Day Parade.

The boisterous CPI contingent chanted slogans in French, Irish, and English supporting the Good Friday Agreement and received an enthusiastic response from the 500,000 people who had gathered to watch the parade. Joining Duceppe was the Honourable Warren Allmand, former Solicitor General of Canada and currently president of the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development. Both Duceppe and Allmand felt their presence with the CPI at the parade was important to express their concern at the current impasse in the Irish peace process, brought about by the British government's suspension of the Assembly. Coalition spokesperson Kevin Callahan said that this successful action was the beginning of an intensive campaign to raise the awareness of people in Quebec about the dangers of the political void that presently exists in the Six Counties and the need to implement the Good Friday Accord as soon as possible.


An Phoblacht
44 Parnell Sq.
Dublin 1
Ireland