Stephen Harper looks to win back seats in Quebec City area

Stephen Harper spent the morninginthe region of Quebec best placed to give his party some new seats come Monday the provincialcapital.

The Conservatives are hoping to gain back territory in the Quebec City area, where they lost ground in the last election.

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At a rally, Harper tried to present his party as the one best-suited to represent the province in Ottawa.

"Don't let anyone tell you that Conservative values are not Quebec values," Harper said.

"When I come to Quebec I am regularly told that people want to save more money and pay less taxes."

Not everyone was so welcoming, however.

Members of the social-housing advocacy group FRAPRU protested outside an announcement this morning, sayingConservatives haven't done enough to support low-income residents.

The group issued a report earlier this week detailing the federal parties' commitments to social housing, and the Conservatives finished last.

Last night,Harperappeared on a popularFrench-language talkshow hosted byricSalvail,called "En modeSalvail."

He said he"rarely"appears suchshows, but he joked he wanted to be as popular asSalvail.Harper also sang andplayed the piano as he looked to woo Quebec voters.

He also took a swipe at the Liberalsafter that party's campaign co-chair,DanGagnier,resigned overan ethics controversy.

"It is the old culture of the sponsorship scandal. It's not about anybody else it's about the Liberal Party," saidHarper, referring to the e-mailGagniersent toTransCanadawith advice on how to lobby a new government on the Energy East pipeline.

Can they win back seats from the NDP?

Theparty won 10 seats in 2006, held themin 2008and then lost five of those seatsin 2011.

Harper has insisted Quebecers will respond to his party's platform on crime and on the economy, but he added some fuel to the electoral fire ahead of the campaign by introducing a law to ban niqabs at citizenship ceremonies.

The issue gained added traction thanks to a Federal Court of Appeal decision that came in September, striking down as unlawful the existing rule banning the practice.

The Conservatives are hoping the Supreme Court will hear the case.

The ban is a popular in Quebec but the NDP oppose it, one of the reasons cited for a drop in their Quebec support.

The Conservatives arelooking to bleed support from the New Democrats, who won 59 seats in Quebec in 2011.

After the morning rally in Quebec City, Harper heads to Fredricton, N.B., but is expected expected to return toQuebec for one last visit on Saturday.