Quebecers have traditionally rallied behind francophone Liberals, but Stephane Dion will not be as fortunate, the party's political rivals say.

"Definitely this time it's not the case," Vivian Barbot MP with the sovereigntist Bloc Quebecois, told CTV's Question Period on Sunday.

"People in Quebec didn't want Dion. And all the delegates I've met were not only slightly astonished, but really angry about what happened. So he really has a lot of work to do in Quebec if he wants the support of Liberals themselves."

She argued that Dion has taken a heavy-handed, almost confrontational approach to politics in Quebec, when it comes to pursuing federalism.

"Quebecers know what they want and they have to find a way to do it," said Barbot. "They don't have to be told by anybody else. And Dion is one of these guys. He really knows what's good for you, and he wants to impose it on people. And we don't like that in Quebec."

In a Nov. 27 poll of Liberal delegates by The Strategic Counsel, Dion placed second to Ignatieff when it came to the question of who would be able to best consolidate the federalist vote in Quebec. He also placed second to Ignatieff when it came to capturing first-ballot delegate support in Quebec.

Conservative MP James Moore charged that Dion not only has to win over Liberals in Quebec, but also in Western Canada and within his own party.

"He's up against a real statistical problem," said Conservative MP James Moore told CTV's Question Period.

"Over 80 per cent of delegates at the convention did not have Stephane Dion as their first choice for Liberal leaders, which means he has a huge job to unify the party behind him."

However, Moore didn't say that Michael Ignatieff, the first-place finisher on the first ballot, had 70 per cent of delegates pick someone else.

Moore added: "He had virtually no support from any members of Parliament or senators from Western Canada. He's best known within the province of Quebec, and within that province he's not terribly well liked."

In first-ballot delegate selections, Dion finished in the top three in Alberta and B.C., but not in Manitoba or Saskatchewan. Dion ranked third in caucus support among the eight candidates on the ballot.

New Democratic MP Olivia Chow argued that Dion's strongest asset -- his support of environmental issues -- is largely borrowed from the NDP.

"I love these Liberal conventions. It feels like an NDP revival meeting," she joked. "I feels like there are these born-again Liberals talking about the environment, child care, poverty."

While she "hoped Dion is sincere" about tackling those issues, she said his track record as a former environment minister was poor.

"The greenhouse gas emissions have gone up dramatically in the past 13 years while they were in office," said Chow. But I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, and let's work together and get something done."

Moore pointed to a recent report by Environment Commissioner Johanne Gelinas that slammed the Liberal record on administering climate change programs.

Dion's defence was that the audit didn't cover the April 2005 climate change plan aimed at helping Canada reach its Kyoto Protocol target -- a program killed by the Tories.

The environment is also a major issue in Quebec, meaning Dion could attract votes away from Conservatives, who are moved away from Kyoto with their troubled Clean Air Act.

While the Tories were the first choice for 30 per cent of Quebec voters in May, that figure dropped to just 16 per cent by mid-October, according to polls conducted by the Strategic Council. The party received 25 per cent of Quebec votes in the Jan. 23 election.