Gilles Duceppe had to coax one onlooker to shake his hand, as the Bloc leader did a little glad-handing in the crowded, car-free streets of downtown Montreal this afternoon.

The Bloc leader reached out to shake the man's hand, as TV cameras recorded the moment. But, instead of returning the handshake, the man recoiled, and told Duceppe, in English, "I'm not a supporter!"

Tim Duboyce

Duceppe said, "That's OK. We can still shake hands."

He did.

It all happened as Duceppe walked between media interviews during Car Free Day, along Montreal's busy shopping district on Ste-Catherine St.

He was accompanied by several area candidates, including 20-year-old Maxime Clément, who was allowed to vote for the first time in his life in the 2006 federal election, and is running in the West Island district of Lac-Saint-Louis. Around half of the residents in the riding are anglophone, and have voted overwhelmingly for Liberal MPs in the last four elections, the Conservatives coming in a distant second.

In 2006, the BQ received just over seven per cent of the votes, slightly ahead of the Green Party candidate.

Clément, who is in his third year in Political Science at the University of Montreal, says it is a challenging campaign for him. He says many people in the riding stop him in mid-spiel once he identifies himself as being with the Bloc.

He says he hasn't encountered outright hostility, however, and says he is heartened many people seem open to the Bloc's social and environmental planks. But he concedes in that part of the province, being a sovereigntist makes it unlikely he will come close to winning.

"It would be a lot easier as a Liberal," Clément said with a smile.

—Tim Duboyce