“Quebec is waking up!” shouted Bloc incumbent Mario Beaulieu from the stage as the first results were coming in.

For the Conservatives, one bright spot in an otherwise disappointing night in Quebec was the defeat of People’s Party Leader Maxime Bernier in the Beauce, south of Quebec City. Bernier had previously been elected by a wide margin as a Conservative, but lost his seat to the new Conservative candidate, former mayor Richard Lehoux. The People’s Party did not win a single seat across the country.

Heading into the campaign, the Bloc Québécois was not expected to make big gains in Quebec, and both the Liberals and Conservatives were hoping to capitalize on the declining fortunes of the NDP. But Blanchet, who was acclaimed in January, led a strong campaign, aligning his party closely with the priorities of the popular provincial CAQ government, led by Premier François Legault.

Blanchet has echoed Legault’s demands for greater autonomy for Quebec on immigration and taxation, and has positioned the Bloc as the only federal party that supports the popular secularism law, Bill 21, banning religious symbols for some public-sector employees, including teachers, judges and police officers. Though most other federal leaders have said they will not intervene in a court challenge of the law — Trudeau has left that door open — Blanchet has said the Bloc supports the law, where the other leaders only “tolerate” it.

Blanchet has also avoided making this campaign about sovereignty, recognizing that most Quebecers aren’t interested in independence in the immediate future. He has focused instead on presenting the Bloc as the party that will defend Quebec’s interests in Ottawa.

“He’s on the ground seven days out of seven, 24 hours a day, more or less. If you ask me, Yves-François Blanchet is the best news of this year. My 2019 is Yves-François Blanchet,” Bloc incumbent Rhéal Fortin told reporters.