Gilles Duceppe, the longest-serving federal leader, is heading
into eighth election and his sixth as Bloc leader.  And the
experienced politician is going into it with a 95.3 per cent
vote from his February, 2011 leadership review — some of his
strongest levels of support as leader.  The party voted on their
election platform and campaign budget that same weekend after
Duceppe urged them to be prepared for an election, expecting
Prime Minister Stephen Harper to push for one.  Duceppe's a
shrewd political player. Ask the Conservatives, and they might
admit it in private, after the Bloc Québécois chief schooled
them in the October 2008 federal election in Quebec. Harper's
party had some traction in Quebec at the beginning of the
election campaign, but then came the controversial Conservative
announcements about arts funding cuts and changes to the Youth
Criminal Justice Act, both decried by many Quebecers.   Duceppe
jumped on the issues and his campaign gained life. Tory fortunes
plummeted, taking with them any