2 Bloc members support NDP

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Two members of the Bloc Québécois are openly calling on sovereigntists to vote for the NDP on Election Day.

Maxime Bellerose, the former president of the Hochelaga riding association, and Benoît Demuy, a one-time political adviser to former Bloc MP Réal Ménard, have drafted a letter in which they write that the Bloc has reached its limits in Ottawa and that it's time to move on to another option.

In the letter, Bellerose and Demuy write that they are still convinced sovereignty is the right path for Quebec, but that the struggle needs to happen in Quebec, not in Ottawa.

"While waiting for a winning referendum, voting NDP today is the solution to break the cycle of minority Conservative governments," the letter reads.

It goes on to say that for the first time, social democracy is knocking on the doors of Parliament, and that it would be a shame for Quebecers not to take the opportunity to send MPs to Ottawa who champion the values of mutual help and justice held dearly in Quebec.

The letter is signed by the two men, who label themselves as "engaged citizens."

In an interview with CBC News, Demuy said he and Bellerose are not the only bloquistes who will be voting NDP.

'Voting NDP today is the solution to break the cycle of minority Conservative governments' —Maxime Bellerose and Benoît Demuy

"I'm not a black sheep, I'm not an anecdote," Demuy said.

He said the vast majority of his entourage supports the Bloc, and at least three quarters of his friends and colleagues will be putting an X beside the name of the NDP candidate in their ridings on Monday.

Duceppe responds

Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe said he was not concerned about the letter Monday morning.

At a press conference in Gatineau, Duceppe admitted the race is tight, but said his party is behind him.

"I think the vast majority of sovereigntists are with us," Duceppe said.

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