Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe, with his wife Yolande Brunelle, waves to supporters as he arrives at a gala in Montreal on Sunday to celebrate his 20 years in politics. (Graham Hughes/Canadian Press)

Quebec sovereigntists feted Gilles Duceppe for his 20 years of public service with a series of weekend events in Montreal, including one Sunday in which 800 gathered in a theatre to pay tribute to the politician.

For two decades, Duceppe has been the most prominent face of Quebec sovereignty on the national stage. He has led the Bloc Québécois — one of the more stable federal political parties in terms of election numbers and support — through six consecutive federal elections.

He was first elected to the House of Commons on Aug. 13, 1990, winning a byelection in the Montreal riding he holds to this day.

In 1997, he took the helm of the Bloc, founded by disgruntled federal cabinet minister Lucien Bouchard after the death of the Meech Lake accord created a deep rift between Quebec and the rest of Canada.

The party currently holds 48 of the 75 seats in the province and the Conservatives, Liberals and the NDP have made little progress in eroding its now solid base.

"The other parties always complain they can't get a majority because of the Bloc," Duceppe told The Canadian Press last week.

"But they can't blame us for the impotence of [Michael] Ignatieff, the Liberals, the NDP or the Conservatives. If Quebecers don't find themselves reflected by those parties it's because those parties don't offer them an alternative that corresponds with their values."

Antonia Maioni, director of McGill University's Institute for the Study of Canada, echoed Duceppe's words.

"The Bloc isn't the problem, it's what Quebecers want that's the problem," she said a telephone interview Sunday. "The Bloc is being duly elected and legitimately sitting in the House of Commons."

Maioni noted Duceppe helped solidify the Bloc's support in Quebec by shifting the party to the political left and legitimizing the sovereigntist message. He is also exceptionally skilled at managing the party's diverse urban and rural interests.

His success and popularity has led to fears — and hopes — the party will fizzle when he leaves politics.

Duceppe can't retire

In fact, during Sunday's tribute, former Bloc MP and one-time party leader Michel Gauthier jokingly warned Duceppe retirement wasn't an option.

"You don't have the right," he told the laughing crowd. "Besides you'll see. It's no fun at all."

But Duceppe remains confident the Bloc fulfills a need in the province that will extend beyond his leadership.

"I've always said each people, each nation, finds within itself the resources and the leaders that will guide them in the future," he told reporters Sunday.

Maioni agreed votes for the Bloc come from a legitimate wellspring of support.

"I think the voice it represents will continue to have a lot of traction in Canadian politics," she said.

As for detractors who criticize the Bloc because it will never be in power, Duceppe recalled the praise heaped on former NDP leader Ed Broadbent when he retired.

"They said it was extraordinary how he spent so long in Parliament without ever gaining power and how he helped Canadian democracy because he brought fresh ideas and perspectives," he said.

"If it's true for Broadbent it should be true for Duceppe."