Reporters got their first taste of Gilles Duceppe at work behind the scenes on the campaign trail today, when everyone hopped on board a chartered turboprop together for the Bloc leader's tour through several remote towns and communities in northwestern Quebec.

And at first glance, you'd get the impression he isn't really working too hard. Seated near the front of the plane, Duceppe and his staff barely spoke during two flights totalling nearly three hours: no strategy briefings, no secretive discussions on the Bloc's next move. Duceppe kicked back with some Sudoku.

A party official says it has nothing to do with the fact having even a simple conversation aboard the Bloc plane is challenging due to the droning propeller engines rattling and buzzing away.

Rather the official says the flight is the only time the leader's team has to relax on the campaign, free of buzzing BlackBerrys and chiming cellphones.

At 61, Duceppe is the oldest of the five main party leaders, and the most experienced, this being his fifth campaign at the head of the Bloc Québécois.

Asked how he's feeling a little over a week into his campaign, Duceppe said, "Pretty well, pretty good. I think I'm in pretty good shape."

—Tim Duboyce