Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe said the burden of proof is on Conservative leader Stephen Harper to make good on his promises.

Speaking in Montreal Tuesday, Duceppe said he expects Harper to give Quebec a bigger role on the international stage and to solve the so-called fiscal imbalance between the provinces and the federal government -- a major issue for Quebec.

The Bloc leader also said he wanted to remind Harper that the Bloc holds the balance of power.

Duceppe also put a positive spin on his party's results, saying even though his party won fewer seats and a lower share of the popular vote than in 2004, the Bloc still had a better showing than the Tories and Liberals in the province.

Bloc results

The Bloc held its ground in Quebec Monday, winning 51 of 75 ridings, while the Conservatives made crucial gains in a province that shut them out in 2004.

The Tories took 10 seats, the Liberals took 13 and an independent candidate took one, leaving The Bloc with three seats less than they held at dissolution.

Most of the Conservative gains came at the expense of the Liberals, who held 21 seats at dissolution, while the Tories were unable to elect a single candidate in Quebec in 2004.

The Bloc took about 42 per cent of the popular vote, down from nearly 49 per cent in 2004, despite boasts from the sovereigntists who predicted they would take more than 50 per cent.

As for the Tories, they took 25 per cent of the popular vote Monday, up from 8.8 per cent in the last election.

Meanwhile, the Liberals took 21 per cent on Monday, down from 33.9 per cent in 2004.

Duceppe speech

In his speech to cheering supporters Monday night, Duceppe avoided the fact that his party's performance was less successful than in 2004.

He said that while the Bloc and the Conservatives would unite to work on common issues, he warned that values conveyed by the rest of Canada would never take precedence over "Quebec values."

The Bloc leader also downplayed sovereignty in his address.

"Like I said all during the campaign, this election was not a referendum election," Duceppe said Monday. "The future of Quebec wasn't played out tonight.

"But the Quebec vote and the Canadian vote show is clearly that we're not going in the same direction. Each is taking his own path. In the long run, to fully express its difference, Quebec must assume all of its powers as a sovereign country."

Key ridings and candidates

Among the high-profile candidates, Liberal Leader Paul Martin won in his Montreal riding of LaSalle-Emard, despite internal party polls from the Bloc that had suggested it was within striking distance of defeating Martin; as did Liberal Irwin Cotler, who served as justice minister, in the traditionally safe riding of Mount Royal.

Meanwhile, Liberal Stephane Dion, who served as environment minister in the last government, won in Saint-Laurent--Cartierville as did Transport Minister Jean Lapierre.

Quebec economic development minister Jacques Saada lost his riding, while newcomer Liberal candidate Marc Garneau also lost to the Bloc's incumbent Meili Faille in the riding of Vaudreuil-Soulanges.

In Jeanne-Le Ber, the Bloc's Thierry St-Cyr eked out a narrow win over the Liberal opponent Liza Frulla, who served as heritage minister in Martin's government.

Conservative candidates who have won seats include: Josee Verner, chair of the Tory Quebec caucus, in Louis-Saint-Laurent; as well as Steven Blaney, who beat Bloc incumbent Real Lapierre in Levis-Bellechasse; and Lawrence Cannon, a one-time provincial cabinet minister in the provincial Liberal government of Robert Bourassa, who secured a seat in Pontiac.

Jean-Pierre Blackburn, a cabinet minister in the Conservative government of Brian Mulroney, also won in Jonquiere-Alma.

"I am especially proud tonight of the fact that both anglophones and francophones worked together to bring about real change in Quebec," Conservative Leader Stephen Harper said in his victory speech.

"Our government will build a new and dynamic voice for federalism in Quebec," said Harper, who has promised to address the fiscal imbalance between the provinces and the federal government.

Independent candidate, and former radio shock jock, Andre Arthur was elected in the riding of Portneuf-Jacques-Cartier, knocking off the Bloc candidate.

The Quebec election race

In 2004, the Bloc won 54 seats out of 75 possible seats, its strongest electoral showing since the party's first election in 1993, while the Liberals won 21 seats and the Conservatives and NDP failed to win any seats at all.

In 2000, the party won 38 seats, scarcely a majority of available seats, compared with the Liberal's 35 seats and one Conservative.

In 1997, the Bloc secured 44 of Quebec's 75 seats while the Liberals won 26 and the Progressive Conservatives won 5.