Jacques Parizeau, the former Parti Québécois premier of Quebec, said that a coalition government would be weaker than the incumbent, a prospect he said was "eminently satisfying."

"The fact that the Bloc got Stéphane Dion to sign a political accord in which it is explicitly written that he undertakes to act in partnership with Canadians and the Québécois should bring a smile to the face of many sovereigntists," Mr. Parizeau wrote.