Federal Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion has taken the blame for his party's defeats in three Quebec byelections, saying, "A leader has to put himself out there and I didn't do it."

Dion said he's the first person who should be held responsible for the Liberals' nosedive in the federal byelections on Monday night, which saw the party lose its traditional Montreal stronghold riding in Outremont while earning single-digit support in the Saguenay and Saint-Hyacinthe ridings. 

"I'm taking the responsibility," Dion told the CBC's French-language television program Téléjournal Wednesday night.

"I've always focused on the stakes … but I've never put myself on the line and I understand now that a leader must do that.… A leader has to put himself out there and I didn't do it," he told Radio-Canada host Céline Galipeau during a candid interview in French.

Dion admitted the Liberals' performance was "very worrying" in all three ridings. Part of the problem, he confided, was that he was too low-profile, didn't know how to communicate his party's message and didn't defend himself against critics.

He believes people don't understand him or his goals.

"I have to have that conversation with all Quebecers so that they understand what I can do if I become prime minister. Up until now I haven't been able to do that.… I'm not what I seem to be."

Dion added he thinks Quebecers won't outright dismiss his ideas. What they do reject is the caricature of his ideas put forward by both his sovereigntist and Conservative opponents, he said.

The Liberal leader admitted he is on a mission to open up to Quebecers, notably by accepting more invitations to talk shows. "I've never been very open to that, but now I have to be," he said.

"I've never done an interview like we're doing at the moment," he told Galipeau.

Speaking after a speech in Montreal on Thursday, Dion repeated his pledge to make himself better known to Canadians.

"If you want to speak about the water policy, we can talk about it. People have to see what drives me, people have to know me," he said.

"We want to know the prime minister, more than the ministers in cabinet. I haven't played this role up until now. I'm going to play it more so."