On Saturday morning, Montrealers woke up to a federal election one day earlier than other Canadians.

Overnight Bloc Québécois workers plastered the city with campaign posters featuring party leader Gilles Duceppe.

One Bloc official said the early start reflects the Bloc's election readiness, which was sorely tested when the actual campaign began.

Duceppe was forced to kick off his first day of the official campaign with a last-minute cancellation by one of his most important sovereigntist allies.

Parti Québécois leader Pauline Marois was scheduled to give a speech before Bloc supporters on Sunday morning. But organizers say she is too ill to make the appearance.

A Bloc campaign worker says Marois was hospitalized after suffering some sort of food poisoning.

The party was unable to confirm whether the illness was in any way related to the recent recalls of meat and cheese products due to listeria and salmonella contamination.
—Tim Duboyce