Harper focusing sights on Trudeau, Liberals

He continued to maintain that New Democrats are only a few dozen seats short of unseating the Conservatives – notwithstanding that every party starts with zero seats when Parliament is dissolved and a new general election campaign begins.

Harper didn’t address the seeming juxtaposition of his campaign getting support from two admitted drug users.

Liberal spokesperson Jean-Luc Ferland also sent a statement from Dan Gagnier to VICE News.

“Overall, under either the Liberals or the NDP, we expect a greater degree of scrutiny and regulatory oversight for the energy sector”, Barclays analyst Grant Hofer said in a note.

In an interview, McCallum conceded that Liberal candidates quite regularly hear from older voters who echo back the Tory claim about Trudeau’s policy.

Holland is taking on Immigration Minister Chris Alexander in Ajax – a riding he held before the Grits were taken down across Canada in 2011, the worst showing in the party’s history.

“Maybe knowing that date and having that huge run up outside of the actual length of the campaign itself played a big role”.

“I don’t care if anyone has sex with a sheep, as long as you work for the people and increase the livelihood of the people you represent”, said a man who only gave his first name as Richard.

The Conservatives have re-focused their campaign on suspicion, division and fear.

Opposition to veils was highest in Quebec, where 93 per cent said people should not hide their faces, and lowest in B.C. But even in this province – where most of the time we can’t even agree on whether the sun rises in the east – fully 72 per cent of us opposed the wearing of niqabs at citizenship ceremonies. “Do I think it’s the most likely outcome now? No”. “That’s something that resonates”. “It is disappointing that the Conservatives chose to practice negative and mean spirited politics”, the statement said.

Those Canadians are looking for change just like everyone else, said Liberal John McCallum, and they are not responding well to what he calls the Conservatives’ divisive – and often entirely misleading – approach.

His most recent poll shows the Liberals leading among all voters with 34.1 per cent support, ahead of the Conservatives with 29.9, and the NDP at 24.1.

“If you try to attract the more knowledgeable immigrants – those who have diplomas, who have experience – then our market is going to globally be more advantaged over time and more competitive”, he says.

Separately, one high-ranking New Democrat predicted an “irresistible force coming from supporters of both parties” on the two sides to work together if the circumstances were right.

The PM says travelling throughout Canada has given him an appreciation for the country’s diversity.

“We’re doing, frankly, what most other Western democratic countries do, make adjustments based on demographics”, Harper said.

If you don’t believe me, just look back on the past 25 years of elections for this district.

Marland contends that in a world of constant media coverage and high-tech devices that deliver a steady stream of information, politicians these days are in semi-permanent campaign mode. Trudeau has appeared cool and confident, his debate performances solid, and the advertising campaign that suggested he was not prime minister material has had an unintended effect: it lowered expectations so far that it made Trudeau’s campaign seem surprisingly fresh and sure-footed.

Etobicoke is also Ford country, as in the well-known Toronto city councillor and former mayor Rob Ford and his brother, Doug, both of whom attended Harper’s morning rally.