In Québec, the most interesting political battle these days is between the Bloc and the NDP.
In part, the skirmish is related to the Hochelaga by-election, scheduled for next week. It's also a sign of how far the fortunes of Michael Ignatieff and the Liberals have fallen in the past several months, even before the Coderre crash-up. More generally, with the election of Tom Mulcair, the NDP has clearly stepped up its battle for the hearts and minds of left of centre Québécois.
The Bloc has always been an uneasy coalition of forces and Gilles Duceppe understands the threat, having watched Québec solidaire break off from the Parti Québécois. For Jack Layton, the prospect of replicating that split must be enticing, as it could fulfill the NDP's longstanding dream of a Québec breakthrough.
On Tuesday, New Democrats put up 100 signs in the form of a giant cheque for $750,000 signed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The cheque was made out to Daniel Paillé, the Bloc candidate in Hochelaga. The sign bears the Conservative logo, and is designed to remind voters that Mr. Paillé once accepted a contract from the Conservative government to analyze federal polling under the Liberals.
Today, in the wake of last night's vote in the House of Commons, the Bloc will retaliate by erecting this sign, which tells voters that the Conservatives and New Democrats are allies in abolishing the gun registry.
The issue of the gun registry is likely to resonate within Québec, scene of the Ecole Polytechnique massacre nearly twenty years ago. Yesterday, hours before MPs (including all Bloquistes) voted in Ottawa, the National Assembly in Québec City passed a unanimous motion calling for the gun registry to be preserved as it is.
In The Globe and Mail this morning, coverage of last night's vote "to kill the gun registry" emphasizes the urban-rural split in the House of Commons; in the Liberal-friendly Toronto Star, the Grits have " softened" their position on the gun registry and Michael Ignatieff's commitment to reform it is front and centre.
Le Devoir's coverage, on the other hand, emphasizes the threat to the gun registry. While the paper reports that both Liberals and New Democrats voted with the Conservatives, it notes that "the percentage was much higher in the NDP, which claims to be the most left-wing of the federal parties." And Le Devoir includes Jack Layton's rather lame response when asked about the vote: "Some of our MPs voted in favour," he said, "in order to send the bill to committee."