Martine Ouellet to step down as Bloc Quebecois leader, effective June 11

Martine Ouellet is stepping down as head of the Bloc Quebecois after a resounding defeat in a weekend leadership vote.

Ouellet took potshots at several of her detractors this morning as she announced her decision to retire, effective June 11.

Bloc rank and file gave Ouellet 32 per cent support in the leadership vote.

Ouellet, 49, has been leader since March 2017.

The Bloc has been in disarray since late February when seven of its 10 MPs quit over Ouellet's leadership style.

Of the three who remained, only two still backed her heading into the vote.

Ouellet defended her decision to be a vocal promoter of Quebec independence since becoming leader.

"I did not come to the Bloc for a title but to defend a cause: that of independence and the republic of Quebec," she told the news conference.

"Rest assured, I will continue. Nothing is finished for me. But I must admit that, at the end of the day, my main conclusion is that the main obstacle to Quebec becoming a republic comes from within the sovereigntist movement.

"That is not normal. The movement is ill."