It’s a pity that Gilles Duceppe will never have the oppourtunity to be the voice of this country. The Bloq Quebecois head has got an excellent sense of wit and frankness that is unmatched by any leader from a federalist. The CBC’s recent list of notable campaign quotes features numerous Duceppe zingers:

“I’d really love to go for a fourth trip into space with maybe Mr. Duceppe and Mr. Boisclair, and I am convinced, I am convinced that after such a trip, Quebec sovereignty will no longer be an issue. Space travel affects us that much.” — Marc Garneau, the first Canadian in space and a Liberal candidate in the Quebec riding of Vaudreuil-Soulanges, tells Radio-Canada he’d like to go on a long journey with Duceppe and Parti Québécois Leader André Boisclair.

“Obviously, his leader hasn’t been able to bring him back to Earth … Maybe Mr. Garneau is eager to go back to space – if he’s ever left it.”
— Duceppe responds to Garneau’s comment. According to the Globe and Mail, the BQ leader then “chortled” and sang some bars from Fly Me to the Moon.

“They all want to go to bed with us, but they don’t want to marry us.”
— Duceppe after Harper made campaign pledges to boost Quebec independence but continued to distance his party from the Bloc, with which it co-operated to bring down Martin’s minority government in November.

“He wants to transform Canada into a big Wal-Martin.”
— Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe on Liberal Leader Paul Martin’s focus on increasing Canada’s competitiveness in the global market, which Duceppe says will lead to lower salaries in this country.

Stephen Harper plods along dully, Paul Martin dithers incessently and Jack Layton postures insincerely, but Gilles Duceppe , man, this guy is actually fun to listen to. Imagine that, a Canadian politician who is not a bore, yet he has no chance of being a national leader because his first act as Prime Minister would be to remove himself and Quebec from federal government.

Sigh.