Prime Minister Stephen Harper introduced a motion on Wednesday that recognizes the Quebecois constitute a nation within a united Canada, in a surprise move aimed at countering an imminent Bloc Quebecois motion.

"Do Quebecers form a nation within a united Canada? The answer is yes. Do the Quebecois form an independent nation? The answer is no, and will always be no," Harper said in an address to the House of Commons following question period.

"The Bloc Quebecois has asked us to define that, and perhaps that's a good thing, because it reminds us all that Canadians have a stake in the future of this country."

He called on his federalist colleagues, and also their separatist counterparts to, "do what we must to keep this country strong, independent, united and free."

Harper had already sought the backing of Interim Liberal Leader Bill Graham and NDP Leader Jack Layton, reported CTV's Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife.

He then asked for his own party's support, reminding members of the combined francophone and anglophone influence that led to Canada's creation.

"He said that this country was formed by (George Etienne) Cartier and (Sir John A.) Macdonald, it's part of our historical legacy," reported Fife. "And they, I'm told, supported him -- including many Quebec MPs who were in that caucus, and who had tears in their eyes."

The prime minister was forced to wade into the contentious waters by a Bloc Quebecois motion that will be tabled on Thursday.

Harper's motion effectively counters the imminent Bloc motion, which calls for recognition of Quebec as a nation, but not within Canada.

He said the Bloc motion was an "unusual request'' that could result in the potential for Quebec to separate following a referendum on independence.

The Bloc motion, which will be debated in the House of Commons on Thursday, states simply: "That this House recognize(s) that Quebecers form a nation."

Duceppe responds

Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe responded to Harper's statement by saying the government was refusing to recognize Quebec for what it was.

"The refusal to recognize the Quebec nation, the refusal to acknowledge an obvious reality is something that we could call a blockage in Canada, that is, they want to refuse to recognize Quebec for what it is, and that is why Quebec has not signed the constitution," Duceppe said.

"The refusal to recognize the Quebec nation explains why Quebec is considered as a province like any other and no more."

Duceppe dismissed Harper's efforts, saying it wasn't up to him to decide the status of the province.

"There are those who feel, as I do, that sovereignty will allow Quebec to develop fully and this House will be able to vote on the recognition of the Quebec nation and not on the other options that are federalism or sovereignty," he said.

"Quebecers then will clearly see where everyone stands and where the future of Quebec lies."

Meanwhile, Graham rose in the House to speak in support of the government motion.

"How could we ever support a motion on Quebec by a party that has zero commitment to Canada, which is blind to the greatness available for Quebecers within Canada, a country in which they are at home from coast to coast to coast?" Graham asked.

Graham said that the Liberals would be happy to debate any motion that comes before the House if it benefits Quebec and Quebecers.

Implications for Liberal party

The debate on whether the mainly-French speaking province should be called a nation has implications both for Canadian unity and the future of the federal Liberals.

The eight Liberal leadership candidates were unanimous in saying they couldn't support the Bloc motion because it doesn't mention the word Canada.

But they remain divided over another controversial resolution adopted by the Quebec wing of their own party.

It would recognize "the Quebec nation within Canada," which is meant to prevent against labelling Quebec as an independent nation.

The motion calls on the party to set up a task force to advise the next leader on how best to "officialize'' that status.

The eight leadership candidates met privately Wednesday morning with Graham, who is trying to find a compromise to defuse the issue before the resolution is put up for debate and a vote at next week's leadership convention.

One contender, Ken Dryden, continued to argue afterward that the resolution should simply be shelved.

"It was inappropriately divisive, inappropriately messy," Dryden said, appearing on CTV's Mike Duffy Live.

He was cautious about the prime minister's motion when asked if he would support it.

"I think so, I mean I think that again it's a matter of seeing it exactly but as I heard it, as I understand it, I believe I can," he said.

But Dryden's opponent Michael Ignatieff, the only candidate to whole-heartedly embrace the motion, said the delegates should have a chance to weigh in on the resolution.

"The bottom line for me is let the rank and file decide . . . I'm not in favour of any measure at the convention that buries this.''

After Harper's declaration on Wednesday, Ignatieff said he was proud the Liberal party had prompted the divisive debate.

Ignatieff told reporters he saluted the government motion because it re-emphasized that Quebec's future is in Canada.

"All Canadians want Quebec to remain at the heart of our national life and so I will be voting for the resolution proposed by the prime minister," he said.

Ignatieff turned the controversial debate on Quebec into a campaign issue in October when he declared that he embraced the idea of recognizing the province as a nation within Canada.

His declaration prompted the lone Quebec leadership candidate Stephane Dion to take a shot at his opponent.

Dion called Ignatieff a "trouble-maker," saying he didn't consider all the ramifications and complications of his statement.

A question of semantics?

The resolution brings forward a whole host of issues among groups seeking nationhood status, CTV's Question Period co-host Jane Taber told CTV Newsnet.

"What about recognizing Acadians as their own nation within Canada? You could take it down the line to different ethnic groups within Canada so it has become very controversial."

The word "nation" is often used in Quebec to describe the province as a distinct cultural entity, even by anti-separatist politicians such as Premier Jean Charest.

"It's a very popular concept in Quebec. It comes from the grass roots of the Liberal party. A lot of Quebecers have embraced this but it's very sensitive outside of Quebec," Taber said.

New Brunswick Liberal MP Dominic LeBlanc said that Duceppe's interpretation of the word "Quebec" was arguably different than the prime minister's.

"That's why I think that the federalist leaders, led by the prime minister, did the correct thing in exposing what is the ultimate hypocrisy of the Bloc Quebecois, pretending that they could be a nation within Canada," LeBlanc said, appearing on CTV's Mike Duffy Live.

Rather, their interests lie in forming an independent nation with its own seat at the United Nations, he argued.

"I think we have averted another separatist game and another separatist plot. If we had voted for the Bloc Quebecois motion, then they would have said ... now that you have recognized us a nation, then why not become a country."

B.C. Conservative MP James Moore trumpeted the prime minister's motion as a move that united the federalist parties in common cause.

The motion sent Quebecers the message that "we want you in Canada, we want you to be a part of Canada, we recognize the fact that you have a different history," Moore said.

With files from The Canadian Press