OTTAWA - The leader of the Bloc Quebecois will meet with Prime Minister Stephen Harper Friday morning to discuss the government's agenda for the fall session of Parliament and the possibility of a snap election call, a party official said Thursday.

Frederic Lepage, a Bloc spokesman, said that Gilles Duceppe will meet with the Conservative leader likely at 10 a.m.

NDP leader Jack Layton is scheduled to meet with Harper on Saturday, but Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion is unavailable until Sept. 9, the day after three by-elections in Ontario and Quebec.

The schedule change could give Canadians an earlier insight into the start date of a federal election since Harper has already accused his Liberal adversary of intentionally delaying a meeting. The thinking was the Prime Minister would not ask Governor-General Michäelle Jean to dissolve Parliament and call an election until after meeting with both Layton and Duceppe.

Duceppe said last week that he would only be able to meet with Harper on Sept. 5, 6 or 7, but Lepage said he will be in the Gatineau region on party business Friday, and offered to meet the Prime Minister following his three-day trip through the Arctic.

Lepage said the Bloc was "never closed" to an earlier meeting if Duceppe's schedule permitted.