New gay leader pushes for Quebec's sovereignty

The newly elected head of Quebec's separatist party has promised to hold a quick referendum to pull Quebec out of Canada if he becomes premier of the French-speaking province. Andre Boisclair became the first openly gay person to lead a political party in Canada when the Parti Quebecois voted him as their leader Tuesday night. He received 53.6% of the vote, more than 20 points ahead of his closet rival, despite criticism of his past cocaine use.

Boisclair told party members he'll hold a referendum as soon as possible if the Parti Quebecois defeats the ruling Liberal Party in the next provincial elections, expected in 2007. "Two things are clear for us now: First, in the next election campaign, the Parti Quebecois will seek a mandate to hold a referendum on Quebec sovereignty as soon as possible," he said to loud cheers in Quebec City on Tuesday night. "And we will present Quebecers with a plan to give them a country."

Quebec has held two referendums on sovereignty, and it was voted down in both of them. The first came about 25 years ago, while the latest, in 1995, saw sovereignty rejected by less than 1%. That narrow margin has led some analysts to predict that the 39-year-old Boisclair's election could signal a revival of the separatist sentiment, especially as Quebec premier Jean Charest has been widely criticized since coming to power in 2003.

The PQ's leadership campaign was jolted in September when Boisclair admitted he used cocaine on several occasions as a provincial cabinet minister. Boisclair chalked it up to youthful indiscretion and actually received a boost in the polls following the revelation.

But his reluctance to answer questions on the issue left many analysts wondering if he could handle a real crisis in government when he was so easily flustered by the predictable queries about his cocaine use.

Boisclair, who quit politics in 2004 to attend Harvard University, was planning to move to Toronto this past summer and gain business experience but canceled those plans when former PQ leader Bernard Landry decided to leave politics in June. (AP)

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