Tom Mulcair basks as Quebec unions move support to NDP from Bloc

One of Quebec's largest and sovereigntist-leaning labour federations has dropped its long-standing endorsement of the Bloc Qubcois and some of its member unions are supporting the NDP, making party leader Tom Mulcair "extremely proud."

Mulcair said he will "work hard to maintain the support" of unions such as the Quebec Federation of Labour, known by its French acronym FTQ, in order to "expand our traditional base and rally progressives across Quebec and Canada."

• Where the leaders are Tuesday
• More federal election coverage

He made the comments Tuesday during a campaign stop at a pre-fabricated house company in Mascouche, Que., about 40 kilometres north of Montreal.

Mulcair was reacting toa report in Montreal newspaper La Presse, but it's one that's being disputed by the FTQ.

In a television interview on RDI, FTQ secretary-generalSerge Cadieux deniedthe labour federation is endorsing the NDP, disputing the La Presse report.

Cadieux said the FTQ's position is to target 10 to15 ridings in Quebec where the Conservatives have a chance of winning, and support whichever other party has the best chance of defeating them.

The union head saidthat could be any one of the NDP, Bloc, Liberals or Greens, and that theFTQ will make a final decision on which parties and which ridings they'll target at the union's general assembly at the end of August.

La Pressereported Cadieux isn't aware of any member union supporting theBloc.

NDP moving 'beyond old quarrels'

Cadieuxtold RDI that peopleare going to vote according to their convictions.

"In other ridings in Quebec the Conservatives don't really have a chance, so we're going to concentrate our energies in those ridings where the Conservatives could make gains. Right now they have five MPs in Ottawa ... they might have a chance in another 10ridings, so we'll concentrate our efforts there," he said.

Mulcair brushed off suggestions that support from a large and powerful labour union that has historically supported the separatist Bloc would hurt the party's image outside Quebec.

The NDP leader said the NDP is a big tent that welcomes all Quebecers, even if some of them have supported the sovereigntist cause in the past.

"That's the beauty of the NDP's offer to Quebecers," he said. "We want to go beyond the old quarrels of the past."

The FTQ has officially supported the Bloc Qubcois in almost every federal election since the early 1990s.

Quebec's FTQ federation covers 37 labour unions and counts 600,000 members.