With 2 days left to go, Blanchet has spent most of his campaign in Bloc-blue ridings

On Saturday, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet is expected to walk six hours connected the road, to spell backmost and distant from Val-d'Or, the gateway to Quebec's north, successful a riding that has been safely Bloc Québécois bluish since it dislodged the NDP successful 2019, but present risks turning Liberal red. 

That is simply a batch of clip travelling, and Blanchet has small of it near to enactment up enactment successful aggregate ridings helium could lose, but helium defended the thought erstwhile speaking to journalists connected Friday afternoon. 

"People successful [Abitibi-Baie James-Nunavik-Eeyou] person to recognize we connect the aforesaid value to Abitibi arsenic Montreal, the 450 [Greater Montreal Area], the Quebec City region and everywhere," helium said. 

Blanchet volition person immoderate stops elsewhere aft leaving the portion — including a mates successful that Greater Montreal Area wherever helium has been fending disconnected Liberal advances, but the resource-intensive Val-d'Or travel has amazed governmental observers. 

"I deliberation it's astir apt not the champion usage of their clip astatine this clip and signifier of the campaign," said Daniel Béland, a governmental subject prof astatine McGill University. 

"That's a jaunt," said Éric Grenier, who founded TheWrit.ca and runs CBC's Poll Tracker. The aggregator presently has the Bloc connected way for 22 seats connected Monday, meaning it would suffer a 3rd of its practice successful the House of Commons. 

"It conscionable shows however overmuch they mightiness beryllium playing defence."

Blanchet pitches himself arsenic alternate to Liberal majority

In the past week of the campaign, Blanchet has publically admitted helium believes Mark Carney and the Liberals volition triumph this election, and urged Quebecers to ballot for his enactment instead, successful a bid to support Carney from a bulk and to let the Bloc to support the province's interests. 

Something other Blanchet has repeatedly told media covering him this week: He is not simply trying to cling to the seats helium already has. 

"I'm not playing defence — that's your analysis, not mine," helium besides said to journalists. 

In fact, a CBC News investigation of Blanchet's visits up to this constituent of the five-week run recovered that helium dropped by antithetic ridings a full of 76 times. Forty-nine of those visits were to Bloc-held ridings, meaning the person has spent 64 per cent of his clip successful Bloc-blue seats. 

More than 30 of those visits were to the 450 area. 

Blanchet was backmost determination again connected Thursday afternoon, hopping disconnected his run autobus successful Longueuil connected Montreal's South Shore astatine a section blistery canine associated to conscionable up with different of his incumbents, Denis Trudel, arsenic good arsenic a Bloc challenger successful a neighbouring district. 

"Which riding americium I in?" helium asked the two. 

Trudel told him it was his.

"Oh no, they're going to accidental I'm not successful onslaught mode," Blanchet replied with a smile, eyeing the media. 

It is not arsenic if helium has not gone into offence astatine each successful the region. Blanchet visited adjacent Châteauguay-Les Jardins-de-Napierville 3 times since March 23, including connected Friday evening, to buoy Patrick O'Hara, a BQ campaigner who lone mislaid to the Liberals by 12 votes successful 2021. 

"For a ample conception of Quebecers, for 30 years, successful antithetic moments, being astatine location means being with the Bloc Québécois," Blanchet said to assembled patrons astatine a barroom determination to watch the Habs hockey playoff, arsenic helium and O'Hara stood broadside by broadside successful Montreal Canadiens jerseys emblazoned with their names. 

"He really does his market buying successful Châteauguay connected the mode home," O'Hara had earlier said of Blanchet to reporters, explaining the person has made himself disposable betwixt elections. O'Hara knocked connected 1,204 doors past play alone, helium said.

He is up against prima Liberal campaigner Nathalie Provost, the École Polytechnique shooting massacre survivor-turned-gun power advocate. She became the centre of media attraction during the campaign's archetypal week, erstwhile Carney mispronounced her past sanction and confused the Polytechnique wide sidesplitting with different astatine Montreal's Concordia University years later.

Carney apologized for the errors, and Provost stood by him. It was 1 of respective Quebec-centred gaffes the Liberal person made during the aboriginal days, but it has not dislodged his enactment from the apical of sentiment polls successful the province.

Béland said the Liberals clamped down connected those mistakes arsenic the run went on, removing an accidental for Blanchet to capitalize connected them. 

Late-game enactment from a fashionable provincial governmental figure

With the run astir over, Blanchet received a high-profile endorsement from the person of the Parti Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon. 

In a blistering missive published connected societal media Thursday afternoon, St-Pierre Plamondon called Carney an existential menace to Quebec, tore into the Liberals for their migration policies and the deficits they person run under erstwhile premier curate Justin Trudeau, arsenic good arsenic their stated intent to situation 2 arguable pieces of Quebec authorities — the secularism and language-protection laws — in court.

"Let's instrumentality banal of the information they correspond for Quebec earlier giving them a bulk authorities and a blank cheque," St-Pierre Plamondon said. 

"Achieving Quebec's independency is simply a question of Quebec's linguistic and taste survival," helium went connected to say, earlier encouraging voters to formed their ballots for Blanchet.

That question of the province's sovereignty has taken a backmost spot successful the BQ's campaign, which has mentioned the thought successful its platform, but has not different made it a ample focus. 

Blanchet, who has said helium would collaborate with Carney successful a number government, recovered a mode to reconcile that with St-Pierre Plamondon's sterner language.

"Canada volition prime Mark Carney arsenic its premier minister. I tin alteration thing from that, adjacent if determination were 45 MPs from the Bloc. I tin alteration thing from that. So we person to collaborate," helium said, portion welcoming the PQ leader's endorsement. 

St-Pierre Plamondon is simply a fashionable fig successful Quebec. Provincial sentiment polls earlier this outpouring suggested helium would signifier a bulk authorities if a provincial predetermination were held astatine this time.

"It could assistance him a bit," Grenier said, referring to undecided brushed nationalist voters successful Quebec, who whitethorn beryllium swayed by his words. 

But helium said a showing of 20 to 25 seats would inactive beryllium a "disappointing result" for the Bloc travel Monday.

Béland, though, recalled the acquisition learned by Quebec Premier François Legault. Popular himself successful 2021, Legault called connected Quebecers to ballot for the Conservative Party of Canada.

"You cognize what happened," helium said, referring to however they mostly turned to the Liberals and the Bloc instead. 

However, helium added that though 25 MPs would so beryllium a driblet for the Bloc, determination is simply a consolation prize.

"If it's a number Parliament, and they person 25 seats, and they person the equilibrium of power, I deliberation they volition beryllium precise happy."