OTTAWA — It bills itself as “Canada’s University” and is headed by a former federal Liberal cabinet minister who fought for Canadian unity.

Now, the University of Ottawa is also home to the first Bloc Quebecois student club outside of Quebec.

Les Bloquistes de l’Universite d’Ottawa, recently approved by the university’s student federation, is now eligible for a variety of services, such as use of rooms at the university, and up to $1,000 a year in funding from the student federation to help it promote its goal of a sovereign Quebec.

“Now we can organize conferences to promote the Bloc Quebecois’ ideas and the sovereigntist movement,” said Jean-François Landry, president of the Bloc Quebecois’ youth wing, Forum Jeunesse, and a student at the university and member of the club.

The Bloc is one of several political clubs among the more than 170 clubs on campus. In fact, the only major federal party that isn’t currently represented on campus is the Liberal Party — despite the fact the university’s president is former federal Liberal cabinet minister Allan Rock.

Roxanne Denis, assistant clubs co-ordinator for the student federation, said there have been no complaints about the Bloc club being accredited. On the contrary, she said it widens the scope of debate on campus.

Tristan Dénommée, president of the Bloc’s student club, said the club has about 25 members so far, has held its first meeting and is planning to invite Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe to speak on campus.

The bilingual university appears to be popular with both Quebecers and members of the Bloc Quebecois. In fact, two of the Bloc youth wing’s nine-member executive attend the University of Ottawa, as well as a third student who was, until recently, on the executive.

Landry, who describes himself as a foreign student, is quick to point out they all live in Quebec.

elizabeth.thompson@sunmedia.ca