Quebec Solidaire has invited two former members of the now-dissolved regional parliament in Catalonia to address its party convention next month. The provincial political party -- which currently holds three seats in the National Assembly -- will also host the former MPs when they address a cross-party pro-independence summit at Collège de Maisonneuve.
In an interview with the Canadian Press's French-language service, Mercier MNA Amir Khadir described the invitation as a "show of solidarity" with the Spanish secessionist movement.
He also quickly dismissed concerns that the move may spark a diplomatic incident with the central government in Spain, which dissolved the Catalan regional parliament after MPs narrowly voted to declare independence following a contested referendum on sovereignty.
Khadir recently wrote a letter to the President of the European Court of Human Rights, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and the European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.
"(It was) to say that we find inadmissible what happened and we call for the immediate release of all political prisoners," Khadir explained, referring to prosecuted onetime members of Catalonia's secessionist former government.
Quebec Solidaire's conference will be held from December 1st until December 3rd here in Montreal, less than three weeks away from the date of the snap regional election called several weeks ago by the Spanish government.