[LINK] "Duceppe a hit with Canadian voters outside Quebec"

[rfmcdonald]

The Bloc Québécois, founded in 1990 as a byproduct of the slow-motion implosion of the Progressive Conservatives, is a Québec-only party devoted to Québec's independence that has consistently done quite well outside of Montréal. After a series of gaffes by the Conservative government--not least cuts to federal arts funding by Stephen Harper--the Bloc has gained new momentum, not only insdie Québec but in the rest of Canada, too.

They can't vote for him, most abhor his dream to break up the country and few understand the words that come out of his mouth.

Still, many Canadians living outside Quebec have warmed up to Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe--and, if given the chance, some would even cast a ballot for the sovereigntist party chief.

Political bloggers in the rest of Canada have been piling praise on Mr. Duceppe's debate execution in both official languages. Some believe the veteran leader appears more genuine than his rivals.

Duceppe devotees across the country have even created online groups in his name.

A message on the Facebook fan group called "Gilles Duceppe Rocks My Canadian Socks!"says it's "for those of us who seem to be swept away with his Quebecois charisma, and would vote for him anyways, even though we may not agree with separatism; or those who love him for his politics as well as his charm."

"I would totally vote for him if he ran in my riding," Winnipeg resident Robin Dudgeon, the group's creator, said in an e-mail.

"I feel that it is his sense of humour that really does it for me. All of the other leaders really don't have the same thing."

[. . .]

The 61-year-old grandfather won the Bloc's first seat in 1990 and rose to party leader seven years later.

His sovereigntist party runs a full slate of 75 candidates in Quebec, but it has never vied for a seat outside the province.

With no chance of forming a government, some critics charge that Mr. Duceppe has never faced the same pressure as his counterparts.

He has also never had to present a fully costed platform for the country.

But political blogger Paul MacPhail said Mr. Duceppe's allure draws from his performances during Question Period and in the debates.

"I think he's an excellent debater. He's on his game, he knows what he's talking about whether you disagree or agree with him," Mr. MacPhail said in a phone interview from Charlottetown.

He said Mr. Duceppe would be a contender for his vote if the Bloc ran a candidate in P.E.I.--and, of course, if he dropped the whole sovereignty thing.

"If he was federal, yeah, he'd be somebody that I'd have to consider--if he wasn't, you know, for separation" Mr. MacPhail said.

I was impressed by his performance in the English-language debate of the federal party leaders . . .