Perhaps the most surprising detail in the surprising victory Stephen Harper's Conservatives won in Canada's general election last January was that they picked up ten seats in French-speaking Quebec. The Tories' aversion to gay marriage and a firearms registry, and Mr Harper's poor French and WASP-ish demeanour, meant that few expected him to win any seats at all in the socially liberal province. This success seems to have convinced Mr Harper that Quebec is the key to giving his minority government a majority the next time Canada votes. To that end, he has been showering the province with attention.
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