The Bloc Québécois is a federal political party in Canada devoted to Quebecois nationalism and the promotion of Quebecois sovereignty. The Bloc was formed in the early 1990s by Members of Parliament (MPs) who defected from the federal Progressive Conservative Party and Liberal Party during the collapse of the Meech Lake Accord. Founder Lucien Bouchard had been a cabinet minister in the federal Progressive Conservative government of Brian Mulroney.