Top post for Quebec deputy premier

Bernard Landry apologised for flag comment

By Mike Fox in Montreal

Quebec's Deputy Premier, Bernard Landry, is now certain to become leader of the governing Parti Quebecois and the next premier of the province.

The only other challenger for party leadership, Jean Ouimet, withdrew on Monday after failing to collect enough nomination signatures from party members.

Quebec is a nation, just like Sweden or Denmark or Scotland

Bernard Landry

Mr Landry, who's also finance minister in the Quebec government, will be formally selected at a party convention this weekend, party officials said.

As head of the party, which holds a majority in the provincial parliament, he will become premier, replacing Lucien Bouchard who resigned last month.

Flag gaffe

Mr Landry has already taken a much more aggressive approach than Mr Bouchard on sovereignty for Quebec, the main policy goal of the party.

During his leadership bid he has made several speeches which have pleased the separatist wing of the party.

Mr Bouchard resigned last month

But he was forced to apologise when during one of his attacks on the federal government he compared the Canadian flag to a red rag.

He said it was "not his intention" to offend, and that his remarks - made in French - had been misinterpreted and mistranslated.

Mr Ouimet, the former head of the Quebec Green party, always admitted that he could not beat Mr Landry and said he only wanted to start a debate about the future of the party.

Several other ministers had at first suggested they would run, but they all withdrew after it became clear that they did not have a chance of winning.

Younger generation

Bernard Landry, who turns 64 next week, will probably be the last leader from the generation which set up the Parti Quebecois in the 1960s, with the dream of winning independence for the province.

Shortly after Mr Ouimet withdrew, Mr Landry promised to be ''frank and blunt'' in his dealings with the rest of Canada.

''Quebec is a nation, just like Sweden or Denmark or Scotland. And it has to be said from Quebec and understood with our friends in the rest of Canada,'' Landry said.

Many of the younger generation are less concerned about independence than Mr Landry.

But he has already made it clear that he will continue to press hard for independence, saying it is the best way to protect what he sees as the Quebec nation.

The rest of Canada is watching anxiously to see whether Mr Landry will make relations with Quebec more difficult, and whether he will stick by his words and hold another referendum on some form of independence for the province.