MONTREAL - Gilles Duceppe says his party has one objective for Election 2011: blocking Stephen Harper from forming a Conservative majority government.
In downtown Montreal Tuesday night, in the riding he has represented since 1990, when he became the first Bloc Quebecois MP elected, Duceppe was greeted as a superstar.
But Duceppe quickly switched from smiling and clapping along with his campaign theme song to a more serious tone
"For Quebec to remain strong, the Bloc must maintain a strong presence in Ottawa. Then the Parti Quebecois needs to come to power in Quebec," said Duceppe.
Reprising his role as Harper's fact-checker, Duceppe criticized the Conservative party leader for bashing a coalition when Harper himself proposed a coalition in 2004.
He also took on Larry Smith, who resigned after spending three months in the Senate in order to run as Conservative candidate for the West Island riding of Lac St. Louis.
On Tuesday Smith said that francophones "want a man who develops opportunities for Quebecers, particularly those between 25 and 40. For that generation, the important thing is the world, not the protection of francophone Quebecers.''
Duceppe's response was curt and to the point.
"The senator doesn't understand, doesn't understand anything."
Viviane Barbot, is running again in the Papineau riding against Liberal Justin Trudeau, who won in 2008.
She says that the Bloc is the only party that can bring all Quebecers together.
"That's the way it is. Here in Quebec, if we all vote for Bloc Quebecois, Stephen Harper won't have a majority," said Barbot.
