Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe says he wasn't caught in his own trap when Prime Minister Stephen Harper recognized Quebec as a nation this week, instead he said it was a big step forward for sovereigntists.

Speaking Sunday on CTV's Question Period, the Bloc leader said the original motion which he made got the ball rolling. Duceppe's called for recognition of Quebec as a nation -- but without mention of Canada.

He said he knew that motion wouldn't be passed, but it led to a motion by Harper that pleases the Bloc, and that Duceppe said he intends to support.

The carefully-constructed wording of the Tory motion recognizes the Quebecois as a nation within a united Canada. Some have suggested Harper out-foxed Duceppe by upstaging him with the new motion.

But Duceppe said Harper was playing into his hands.

"I told my members on Wednesday, if they say no, then we will tell people that they don't agree. If they say yes, one way or another, it's also a victory. But to say yes, they have to unite between themselves, exactly what they did. So when Stephen Harper told the press that it was a lobster trap, I would say he's not realizing it was a beaver trap."

Duceppe went on to say it's a historic moment because "for the first time in history" the House of Commons is recognizing Quebec as a nation.

"Canada is the first country recognizing the Quebec nation -- that Quebecers form a nation -- and in the near future other countries will do so."

Question Period co-host Craig Oliver pointed out that the motion, which is expected to be approved by the House of Commons on Monday, gives no new powers to Quebec and is simply an opinion of the House.

Duceppe responded that the Bloc will use the wording of the motion to its advantage, and will attempt to force the government to address concerns passed unanimously by the National Assembly of Quebec.

"Will they answer those demands? Will they respond to those demands? If not, if at the end they're proving that means nothing, Quebecers will take note that they've tried to fool them with just a word without any consequences," Duceppe said.

"That will be part of the debate. They have the burden of the proof now to say, well, we recognize that Quebecers form a nation, and because of that, we're answering to that demand."

However, Conservative Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon, the Tories' Quebec lieutenant, said the motion brought by Prime Minister Stephen Harper is markedly different from the one the Bloc put forward.

The Bloc motion, he said, recognized the Quebec government as a nation-state, while the Conservative motion does not.

"What we're saying is the Quebecois do constitute a nation, and within that have opted, over the last number of constitutions we've had in our country, and basically over the last two referendums, they've identified clearly they're willing to belong to Canada, so that's our fundamental distinction between both."