Harper launches final push for majority
NDP Leader Jack Layton rallies supporters in Quebec
Conservative Leader Stephen Harper touted his economic agenda and took aim at his rivals on Sunday, warning of the risks of an NDP-led government as he tried to build support ahead of the election.
Harper will travel across the country on the last day of the campaign, appealing to Canadians to give him his first majority government.
He kicked off the day with a rally in Stratford, P.E.I., where he blasted the surging NDP, saying their platform would lead to “billions and billions of dollars in job-killing tax hikes.”
Harper also renewed his call for support from traditional Liberal voters, saying the best Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff can hope for is to be a “backseat passenger" in the NDP government.
He praised the local Conservative candidates and urged supporters to keep up their efforts ahead of the vote on Monday.
"Nothing is decided yet," Harper told the cheering crowd. "Every effort is going to matter, every riding here, everywhere else, is in play. Every vote counts."
After his stop in P.E.I., Harper was scheduled to fly to London, Ont., for another event, before ending up in Abbotsford, B.C.
Harper refused to say on Saturday whether he would accept a decision by the Governor General to ask a second-place opposition party to try to form a government if another Tory minority fails to gain confidence of the House of Commons.
NDP Leader Jack Layton was also back on the campaign trail early Sunday. Layton told supporters that the NDP was experiencing a “historic opportunity” that began in Quebec.
“If we’re going to make these winds of change really happen, then we’ve got a lot of work to do,” Layton said.
Layton, who will also make several stops in Ontario on Sunday, urged people to build on the party’s recent momentum and get out the vote on Monday.
Layton faced questions Saturday from reporters about a Sun TV news report that he was interviewed by police in a Toronto massage parlour in 1996. Layton denied any wrongdoing, saying he had gone to what he thought was a community clinic to get a massage and would never have gone had he known the place was suspect.
Layton was never arrested or charged in relation to the police interview.
Toronto police have asked the Ontario Provincial Police to conduct a criminal breach of trust investigation into the leak of official police notes cited in the Sun Media report about Layton.
Meanwhile, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff was ending his campaign with a trek through the Greater Toronto Area, with stops in Markham, Toronto, Thornhill and Maple.
On Saturday, he campaigned in six ridings, pledging his party would get the vote out and surprise pundits with the election results.
Ignatieff told reporters he believes the Liberal base will turn out in large numbers on Monday, adding that he thinks many Canadians are still undecided.
Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe will be in Montreal, Saint-Eustache and Sainte-Therese.
Parti Québécois Leader Pauline Marois joined Duceppe on the campaign trail Saturday. The Bloc leader had another prominent supporter at one of his events Saturday — Muguette Paillé, a 53-year-old unemployed woman from Sainte-Angèle-de-Prémont in Quebec's Mauricie region, who generated buzz earlier in the campaign when she asked the leaders about job creation during the French-language debate.
Paillé, who still hasn't found a full-time job, said she will support the Bloc because she feels it's the best choice to defend Quebec's interests.
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May will also make a stop in Quebec before heading back to Saanich-Gulf Islands, B.C.
Harper launches final push for majority - Canada Votes 2011 - CBC News
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