MONTREAL — The Bloc Quebecois says it will support the softwood lumber deal, meaning the Conservative government should survive a planned vote in the Commons on the issue.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has described the vote on the Canadian-U.S. softwood agreement as a confidence motion that could potentially bring down his government when the Commons resumes sitting Sept. 18.

Together, the Tories and the Bloc would have enough votes to defeat the Liberals and the NDP, who have said they will vote against the bill to implement the deal.

"I've consulted all the people involved in this dispute," Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe told a news conference Thursday. "It was the same answer everywhere. They don't feel it is a good agreement but they just don't have the choice."

Duceppe said the possibility of sending Canadians to the polls this fall, for the third time in barely more than two years, didn't play into his decision.

"We're asking ourselves what's good for Quebec, what's not good for Quebec? What do the people of Quebec want?"

The Conservatives hold 125 of the 308 Commons seats, while the Bloc has 50.

Their combined total would defeat the Liberals' 102 and the NDP's 29.

Most of the lumber producers in Quebec and the major forestry sector unions have said they would support the deal.

The agreement, which would see the Americans pay back about US$4 billion of US$5 billion in punitive duties paid by Canadian lumber producers, has been endorsed by the premiers of Quebec, British Columbia and Ontario, the three big softwood-producing provinces.

Duceppe did release a list of propositions he's asked Harper to consider, but Bloc support will not be conditional on the recommendations being followed.

"The industry, the unions, the regions, the municipalities and chambers of commerce are asking us to do exactly what we're doing now,'' Duceppe said. "This is being responsible. We're not playing politics on the backs of those people."