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

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 . . .

[FORUM] What's the biggest political issue where you live?

I got this news item, a section of which I quote below, from the Canadian Press.

Party leaders continued to hammer each other over the economy Saturday after a new poll showed Prime Minister Stephen Harper's dream of winning a majority government may be slipping away.

The first Canadian Press Harris-Decima rolling poll to include some voter reaction from the two leaders' debates found support for the Tories sliding slightly to 35 per cent.

The biggest beneficiary was NDP Leader Jack Layton, whose party now stands at 20 per cent - just two points behind the Liberals. The Greens also gained slightly to 13 per cent support.

The poll suggests the Conservatives are dropping in the key battlegrounds of Quebec and Ontario, where they need major gains if they are to rise above the current minority status.

Harper's failure to present new initiatives to ease mounting concerns about the economy may have hurt him in Thursday night's English-language debate, particularly in Ontario, said Bruce Anderson, president of Harris-Decima.

"The anxiety about the economy put a little bit in question how strong and decisive the prime minister looked and whether he looked like the kind of guy that was going to read the economic signals (and) cope with changing circumstances," he said.

Between the economic troubles to our south, the collapse of the manufacturing sector in Ontario and Québec, and the weaknesses soon to be visited on western Canada's resource-based economy thanks to falling global demand, the Canadian economy is in dire straits. It doesn't help matters for the Conservative that, in the English-language debate at least, Harper didn't seem to have a plan at all. I hope that this issue will prevent the Conservatives from forming a majority government. I hope.

What's the big political issue where you live? Is it ethnolinguistic conflict, economic troubles, political disputes, all or some or none of the above?

Chat about them in this post's comments. As always, be respectful of other people.