MONTREAL - Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe is gearing up for a dogfight with the Conservatives in the next federal election.
Duceppe delivered the message to about 300 supporters at a Bloc conference in Montreal, where the party is shifting into election mode.
The Bloc hopes to throw a wrench in Prime Minister Stephen Harper's drive for a majority government in the next federal election.
Duceppe says his party will bounce back after the separatist party lost one seat and narrowly retained another against a Tory surge in a pair of Sept. 2007 byelections.
He expects an election to be triggered in the near future, but would not speculate on a date.
The Bloc leader says the party will release its demands for the 2008 budget next week. But he says he does not expect the Tories to meet Bloc requests on several issues, including seniors' policies.
