Former Liberal justice minister endorses Bloc Québécois's Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe

Former Liberal justice minister and internationally renowned human rights expert Irwin Cotler says Bloc Québécois candidate Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe deserves support this election, regardless of his political affiliation.

In a social media post endorsing the incumbent MP on Friday, Cotler said that Brunelle-Duceppe has been "an outstanding member of Parliament, a leading voice for the struggle for human rights domestically and internationally and one who works across party lines in search of the common good.

"His candidacy deserves our support, regardless of political affiliation," Cotler said.

Cotler served as justice minister under former prime minister Paul Martin. In 2020, he was named as Canada's special envoy on preserving Holocaust remembrance and combating antisemitism.

Brunelle-Duceppe was first elected in the riding of Lac-Saint-Jean in 2019 and won his second race in 2021. Before Parliament was dissolved in late March, Brunelle-Duceppe was the Bloc's citizenship and immigration critic.

On social media, Brunelle-Duceppe said in French that Cotler's endorsement "warms my heart."

The two men share some history. In November 2024, Cotler was informed by the RCMP that police had foiled an Iranian plot to kill him. The former Liberal minister told Radio-Canada at the time he had been under police protection for over a year.

After the news came out, Brunelle-Duceppe told the House of Commons his party will never accept that anyone's life should be endangered over their opinions.

"We unreservedly condemn the death threats against Mr. Cotler and we condemn the growing temptation of foreign powers to commit political assassinations on Canadian and Quebec soil," Brunelle-Duceppe said last November. "Mr. Cotler, you are not alone."

Brunelle-Duceppe, son of former Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe, also introduced a motion to the House asking all MPs to condemn the death threats against Cotler and recognize his work to promote human rights. The motion was accepted by unanimous consent.