Prime Minister Stephen Harper described Quebec's provincial election result as a great one for Canada, but was coy on the implications it could have for a federal vote.
"We are very encouraged to see that we have a government in Quebec that is opposed to having another referendum," he told reporters on Tuesday.
"We have now an official opposition that is opposed to having another referendum. It's the first time in almost four decades that we've seen a situation like this, so I think it is good news for this government."
Monday's vote left the incumbent Quebec Liberals with a 48-seat minority after winning a majority in 2003. The right-wing national Action democratique du Quebec won official opposition status with 41 seats, a stunning improvement over the five seats it held before the election.
The Parti Quebecois, which had governed from 1994 to 2003, finished with 36 seats. Leader Andre Boisclair admitted a referendum was impossible in the near future.
In a written statement released earlier in the day, the prime minister vowed to deliver real results for all Quebecers.
"While the election was fought on Quebec provincial issues, I note that Quebecers responded positively to federalism of openness and that two-thirds of Quebecers voted against having another referendum," Harper said.
When pressed on whether he would capitalize on the Quebec election results to call a federal vote, the prime minister said that "the public didn't elect me to sit around looking for election opportunities."
Some of his MPs thought that Harper's pro-Quebec approach to federalism and good relations with both Quebec Premier Jean Charest and ADQ Leader Mario Dumont would lead to gains in Quebec for their party when an election comes.
"Probably a whole lot of seats. We're feeling pretty good that the separatists are at their lowest point since 1970," said Jason Kenney, Harper's secretary of state for multiculturalism and the Canadian identity.
The Tories won an unexpected 10 seats of 75 in Quebec in the 2006 federal campaign. Winning more there next time is seen as a key part of the Tory drive for a majority government.
With support for his party sagging and the PQ losing ground, Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe helped delay an election by voting with the government on the federal budget, ensuring it passed by a vote of 176 to 119.
Duceppe seemed to want to believe Harper's assertion that the Tories wouldn't try to trigger an election.
"He told me that yesterday before the vote that for him he wants an election in 2009 and he won't try to be defeated and I believe him," he said.
Robert Fife, CTV's Ottawa bureau chief, said senior Tories tell him there's no compelling reason to call an election right now.
"Secondly, they think (Liberal Leader) Stephane Dion is a weak leader, and like Joe Clark, won't improve with time. And thirdly, they say the government is doing a good job, and as long as they stay in government, they will increase the trust of Canadians in this government and could win a majority government at any time."
However, if the Tories' forthcoming green plan is well received and the party's poll numbers reach the mid-40 per cent level, Fife said he thinks that opinion could change.
Dion blasts PM
In question period, Dion said the prime minister was to blame for the tight race that distanced the Quebec Liberals from majority support.
"The prime minister has to stop manipulating, he needs to tell all Canadians the limits to their spending powers in Ottawa," Dion said in French, referring to the prime minister's gamble of offering Quebec cash to resolve the fiscal imbalance.
"He uses this as pressure to put conditions on Quebec's voting," Dion said.
The Liberal leader continued his attack later during a news conference, accusing Harper of using the so-called fiscal imbalance and his concept of an "open federalism" in order to manipulate Quebec voters.
"Always he is giving the sense that Canada is as it is unacceptable, that Canada is closed to Quebec, that there is a domineering federalism," he said.
"As if Canada was closed to Quebec today, without substantiating what he means by that. Does somebody know?"
Dion also accused Harper of failing to define exactly how much money is needed to "fix" the fiscal imbalance.
Harper said during question period that he respected Quebecers' decision.
"This, in my judgment, is a great result for the government, a great result for Quebecers, and a great result for Canada," he said.
Sovereignty is 'still there'
Duceppe acknowledged that there will be no referendum on sovereignty is off the table for the foreseeable future. But he said the election result doesn't change the fundamental goals of his party, nor its long-term goal of Quebec independence.
"Sovereignty is still there for us. It's still the best solution for the province of Quebec," he said at a news conference in Ottawa on Tuesday.
"Having said that, obviously there will be no referendum in the near future because there's not a majority of sovereigntists ... (that were) elected yesterday night."
Duceppe said Boisclair must share part of the blame for the party's demise at the polls. But he added that he expects Boisclair will remain as party leader to fight an election that could come at any time given the Quebec government's new minority status.
Duceppe also added a warning for federalist leaders to "be very careful."
He recalled Pierre Trudeau in 1976 declaring sovereignty to be dead. "A few months later Rene Levesque was elected for the first time as (premier) in Quebec."
When asked whether last night's results meant the collapse of sovereignty, Dion warned there is still a "strong separatist movement in Quebec."
"I don't think they're as numerous as polls are showing," Dion said at a news conference, "but they exist and we need to continue the dialogue with them to convince them to come back to Canada."
With a report from CTV's Ottawa bureau chief Robert Fife and files from The Canadian Press
