Mulcair, Trudeau campaign as potential Pacific trade deal casts shadow on trail

“There’s nothing new in the Liberals backing the Conservatives“.

The city is one of the most diverse in the country and has seen its population more than double in the last 20 years, growing to more than 520,000 people.

In Waterloo, before a crowd of 300, Mulcair warned people to keep in mind what the TPP could do to the region’s farmers whose businesses he said could unravel.

An announcement appears imminent on the historic trade agreement that would create the world’s largest trade zone.

“It’s inconceivable that Stephen Harper signed a secret deal in the midst of an election campaign“.

If it does, the Conservative leader said his government’s intention would be to disclose the details of the agreement.

His was a criticism shared by Liberals and NDPers alike, who felt that the Harper handouts just months before a Federal Election helped those parents who did not truly need financial support.

“Crucially for us, Japan [represents] a vast new market for Canadian enterprise and goods”, he argued, saying the agreement “exceeded my best expectations”.

Later Saturday, Harper promoted the virtues of a deal during a campaign stop in Newfoundland and Labrador. He has also promised $15-a-day child care to provinces that want it (unpopular with provinces that enjoy paying more for daycare). He also said he would loosen rules around securing council grants. “So we’re still far from coming to a conclusive position on the deal”.

Asked about the trade pact by reporters, Trudeau said he wanted to see a “fulsome and responsible discussion” about the merits of the deal, but stressed the Liberals’ status as a “pro-trade party”.

“It is a system we can and should be proud of”.

I’m referring, of course, to Tom Mulcair and the federal NDP.

“You’re playing a risky game”, Mulcair charged.

The team at Beauty Supply Outlet in Barrie, Ontario, knows how frustrating it is to have an… No problem, you’re supposed to go back to the Conservatives.

That is reflective of a profound contempt for Canadian values … you are targeting a community to play politics. With all the constant complaining he’s faced, being prime minister doesn’t sound like a fun job at all.

“We have an endgame plan we are implementing now”, said Brad Lavigne, an adviser to the NDP campaign. “It also puts me ill at ease.”

And in revealing the platform during a campaign event at Wilfrid Laurier University, Liberal leader Justin Trudeau took square aim at his Conservative counterpart in reiterating a pledge to raise income taxes on Canada’s top earners, and lower them for the middle class.

Mulcair couldn’t even bring himself to believe Harper would come through on his commitment to disclose details of the agreement.

“We will demonstrate the kind of openness and responsibility that, quite frankly we haven’t had in 10 years of Stephen Harper’s government“, he said.

OTTAWA-Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who is seeking re-election in a national vote set for October 19, on Monday heralded a trade agreement with 11 other Pacific-rim countries as a key element of his Conservative government’s plan to boost job creation and economic growth.

Mulcair and other critics say the government is exceeding its authority during an campaign – it is supposed to act exclusively as a “caretaker” and not take actions that would tie the hands of future governments – by negotiating an worldwide trade deal.

Which isn’t to say that the French-language federal leaders debate broadcast on the TVA network Friday – the candidates’ final public encounter before voting day – didn’t have its moments.