RICHMOND, Que. — A Bloc Quebecois MP's refusal to hand out the Maple Leaf has given the Conservatives and the whole country a chance to further appreciate Canada's veterans, Tory Leader Stephen Harper said Saturday.

"This isn't about flags," Harper said before presenting a ceremonial Maple Leaf to the local branch of the Royal Canadian Legion.

"What touched me and so many people in this little political incident is the failure to recognize what's really important about Remembrance Day and that is the contribution our veterans have made to our country."

The Tory leader, who brought a dozen flags to distribute to the crowd of 100 veterans and their families, refused to take shots at other federal parties and played down any suggestion that the trip was an attempt to make political hay in Quebec.

"I don't want to question the actions of the prime minister, I know he's very busy as I am. And I know when the Bloc has handed out the flag they have been accused of being hypocrites and when the don't they are accused of being unpatriotic.

"I happened to be in Montreal. It was easy for me to get here. It was a great opportunity to come here shake some hands and do something for Remembrance Day. That's how I see it, not has a huge political battle."

Retired soldier Keith Blemings, 64, said Harper's visit boosted the veterans' spirits.

"I thought it was the greatest thing," Blemings said. "He's here to give us the flags that we couldn't even get from our own member of Parliament. We appreciate it very much."

Bloc MP Andre Bellavance's refusal this week to provide flags to the local Legion branch sparked a widespread political outcry, with Prime Minister Paul Martin calling it "beyond belief."

Jean Lapierre, Martin's Quebec lieutenant, blasted Bellavance's "total lack of class."

The Bloc has defended Bellavance, saying the separatist party's policy allows MPs to make up their own minds whether they feel comfortable distributing Canadian flags.

Other Bloc MPs in southeastern Quebec near Richmond have said they're willing to hand them out.

In Ottawa, Veterans Affairs Minister Albina Guarnieri couldn't resist another kick in the political shins of the Bloc as she accused them of dishonouring dead heroes.

"I found that it was so disgraceful," Guarnieri said in an interview Saturday. "There's nothing greater that we can really ask of any Canadian than was asked of our veterans.

"So when a member of Parliament refuses veterans a flag to honour their dead, it's an insult that really reaches into the grave."

Meanwhile, the flag that fluttered atop Parliament's Peace Tower on Friday now has a special home on the wall at the Legion branch in Richmond.

A retired military man who works as Guarnieri's personal driver gladly agreed to deliver the flag, which measures four metres by three metres.

The seven-hour round trip was worth it to see the look on the veterans' faces, said Mike Fay, a former corporal.

"It came as a complete shock to them," said Fay, who served on a 1990s UN mission in Cambodia and with NATO in Europe.

"They appreciated this so much - they already said they're going to be mounting it on the wall in the Legion with a plaque underneath."

John Hill, first vice-president of the Richmond branch, said the controversy would make this year's Remembrance Day special for veterans.

"I'm proud of all Canadians," Hill said. "I got calls from coast to coast.

"But as far as I'm concerned, it's over, we can get back to a natural life. Andre Bellavance is still welcome here. We hold no malice.

"Everybody has their own ideas and policies and that's why our veterans went overseas, so we could live in a nation where we can make these decisions and be free."