Winnipeg Free Press

Tories promise cash for West, Quebec, Atlantic Canada

YARMOUTH, N.S. -- The Conservatives are promising $300 million in new funding for the West, Quebec and Atlantic Canada to help those regions cope with economic hardship. Updated 12:22 PM

Dion asks Atlantic Canadian Liberals to stick with him

DIEPPE, N.B. -- Stephane Dion campaigned in what were thought to be safe Liberal seats in Atlantic Canada, urging voters today to stick with his party and reject the Conservatives. Updated 4:14 PM

Toxic theory sank Hughes

So what did Lesley Hughes really do? Updated 12:09 PM

Insiders say Harper, May won debate

PRIME Minister Stephen Harper won the leaders' debate, but so did Green party leader Elizabeth May, according to a Free Press "snap poll." Updated 12:13 PM

Free Press readers judge leaders

The Free Press asked its readers to critique the political leaders' debates. Here's what some of you had to say:

Celebrities vie for long-time NDP seat

One candidate won seven straight elections before he retired from the Manitoba legislature. The other candidate scored 817 points before the Winnipeg Jets retired his jersey. Updated 11:52 AM

Bloc leader's fan club gains members

OTTAWA -- They can't vote for him, most abhor his dream to break up the country and few understand the words that come out of his mouth. Updated 11:50 AM

The latest promises

Conservatives

Layton woos Quebec with pitch to kick Harper out of PM’s office

MONTREAL -- NDP Leader Jack Layton is making a blatant pitch to Quebec voters, asking them to turn their backs on the parties they support and cast their ballots for the New Democrats. Updated 9:01 AM

Harper drops debating gloves

OTTAWA -- Forget the sweater vest. Somebody should have handed Stephen Harper a hockey stick. Updated 11:19 AM

Fired Liberal still in the race

Kildonan-St. Paul candidate Lesley Hughes, turfed by the Liberals last week, will run as an independent, but confusing Elections Canada rules say she probably can't spend any money. Updated 12:26 PM

Giant killer's become the giant

THE campaign in this west Winnipeg riding got off to a rocky start for the Liberals. Updated 12:09 PM

Insiders say Harper strongest on economy

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's steady-as-she-goes approach to global economic turmoil has strong voter endorsement in Winnipeg, a new Free Press Insiders survey suggests. Updated 12:14 PM

English-language screen test is Dion’s big chance

OTTAWA -- Stephane Dion is under pressure to come up with a campaign-rescuing performance at tonight's English-language debate or watch voters tune out his Liberal party a final time. Updated 2:16 PM

Liberals slip even further, Tories steady: poll

OTTAWA -- A new poll suggests the Liberals are still losing support while the Tories are holding steady and have a 13-point edge. Updated 11:52 AM

Harper hammered on economy

OTTAWA -- Last night, Stephen Harper was quite literally in everyone's sights. Updated 2:01 PM

Scandals abound but voters just don't seem to care

CALGARY -- What exactly is it going to take to impress the voters in this election?

Join Dan Lett as he Twitters during the English round of the leaders' debate Updated 11:50 AM

Tell-all book aimed at Bernier

MONTREAL -- An embarrassing tell-all book that paints ex-foreign affairs minister Maxime Bernier as vain, irresponsible and completely unprofessional isn't likely to affect his bid for a another term as an MP. Updated 11:45 AM

Hughes may run as independent

She might have been "kicked to the curb" by her own party but embattled Kildonan-St. Paul candidate Lesley Hughes is likely to wage a full-on campaign as an independent. Updated 11:39 AM

May's race not just against MacKay

HALIFAX -- When Green Party Leader Elizabeth May bounced off the train at the Halifax station after her cross-country rail odyssey, she was greeted on the platform by over 100 Green Party enthusiasts waving signs expressing the hope she will defeat Defence Minister Peter MacKay here in Nova Scotia to become the first Green Party MP elected in Canada. Updated 11:36 AM

Young voters take cues from adults

There is a freshly minted future voter living at my house. Updated 11:33 AM

On the web

The Liberals have launched an online offensive with a pair of partisan websites aimed squarely at Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Updated 11:28 AM

Twitter, twitter - Dan & The Debaters

Join Free Press columnist Dan Lett as he Twitters during the English round of the leaders' debate tonight. Updated 7:11 AM

It's showtime for leaders

OTTAWA -- It's finally showtime for five national party leaders as they prepare to step into the spotlight for two nights of televised campaign debates. Updated 8:40 AM

Martin lends his support to Keeper in tight race

THOMPSON -- She started her first run for power almost three years ago, when Paul Martin was still prime minister and the Liberal Party still clung to power. Updated 2:50 AM

Tories avoid public debates

After weeks of phone tag and buck-passing, a Winnipeg women's business group was forced to cancel a long-planned, all-candidates forum slated for Friday because no Tory was willing to attend. Updated 2:50 AM

Voters bring up Toews scandal

IT'S an issue unique to this south-eastern Manitoba riding, but not one likely to be debated between the incumbent and the four challengers who want his job. Updated 2:42 PM

Apologies so far

Conservative campaign official Owen Lippert apologized and resigned Tuesday for writing a speech for Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2003 that plagiarized one delivered two days earlier by Australian Prime Minister John Howard. Updated 2:57 PM

Election Roundup

Big perks await winners

Tory worker takes blame for Harper speech

TORONTO -- A Conservative campaign worker has resigned after taking responsibility for the 2003 speech that the Liberals say is an example of plagiarism by Stephen Harper. Updated 3:00 PM

Layton urges meeting on crisis

OTTAWA -- New Democrat Leader Jack Layton called Monday for all federal leaders to put their campaigns on hold for an emergency all-party meeting on the unfolding financial crisis in the U.S and its implications for Canadians. Updated 2:50 AM

Waiting for the shoe-in to drop

THIS time last week, Kildonan-St. Paul wasn't high on anyone's "ridings to watch" list. Tory MP Joy Smith was widely seen as a likely shoe-in for re-election. Updated 12:39 PM

The latest promises

Conservatives

Election Roundup

Debates no clincher: poll

Market turmoil sparks call for leaders meeting

OTTAWA -- NDP Leader Jack Layton's audacious audition for the lead role on Canada's federal stage continued today with a call for an immediate all-party leaders' summit to address the financial market meltdown. Updated 12:02 PM

Harper offers tax breaks to parents with kids in arts programs

OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper is hoping to atone for describing denizens of culture and the arts as government-subsidized elitists with nothing in common with ordinary Canadians. Updated 10:07 AM

Hoping for lightning to strike again

It was the unthinkable. Updated 12:38 PM

'Voter volatility' could shake up surveys

IF the election race feels a little soft on sizzle so far, take solace: the polls reflect that plateau. Updated 2:19 PM

Highlights from the NDP platform

Updated 4:33 PM

Dion blasts 'socialist' Layton, 'laissez-faire' Harper

TORONTO — Liberal Leader Stephane Dion celebrated his 53rd birthday Sunday with a bash at his rivals, saying his party offers the only balance between "laissez-faire, I-don't-care" Conservatives and "socialist" New Democrats. Updated 5:20 PM

An oasis of hope amid wasteland of name-calling

HALIFAX -- It's definitely true that people in the Maritimes are a friendly lot. Updated 7:44 AM

Just me and you, Stephen

New Democrat Leader Jack Layton, buoyed by favourable public opinion polls, continued his campaign on friendly turf in B.C. Saturday, where he suggested the race for the Oct. 14 vote is now a two-way sprint between the NDP and the Conservatives. Updated 10:52 AM

Coalition not our cup of tea

OTTAWA -- Although NDP Leader Jack Layton mused last week about forming a coalition with the Liberals to prevent Stephen Harper's Conservative government from forming a majority on Oct. 14, a new poll shows only four in 10 Canadians would approve of the move. Updated 7:47 AM

Election roundup

Watch what you write in yearbook

This week in mudslinging

The truth is out there

Tories best choice to manage economy, Harper argues

AJAX, Ont. -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper is using the spectre of the global financial crisis to paint his Conservatives as the most prudent managers of the Canadian economy. Updated 4:30 PM

Buoyed by polls, NDP’s Layton fires up B.C. troops

VANCOUVER -- Buoyed by strong poll results that suggest the New Democrats are poised for an electoral breakthrough, NDP Leader Jack Layton is firing up his troops in Vancouver. Updated 4:27 PM

NDP surging in cities as Liberals languish: poll

OTTAWA -- Jack Layton's New Democrats have been reaping the benefits of an ongoing slide in Liberal support, a new poll suggests. Updated 1:06 PM

Dion sacks city-area candidate

Manitoba Liberals suffered a huge blow Friday on a day they were supposed to be showcasing their candidates and trumpeting their election campaign platform. Updated 8:26 AM

Liberal platform highlights for Manitoba

Crack down on youth crime with tougher penalties for young and violent offenders, including making car theft an indictable offence under the Criminal Code Updated 4:46 PM

Get the message? They're still trying

No one has landed a knockout punch in the advertising or online arenas at this mid-point of the election campaign, experts say, but some serious contenders have emerged. Updated 8:50 AM

Debate puts Green leader in the spotlight

For Elizabeth May, Oct. 2 is a day filled with prophecy and meaning. Updated 8:54 AM

Altar of Google ravenous for sacrifices

Adios Leslie Hughes, the latest candidate to die on the altar of Google. Updated 10:03 AM

Harper facing uphill battle in Atlantic region

HALIFAX -- The West got in so now what about the Atlantic? Updated 8:26 AM

The latest promises

New Democrats

Harper cool to notion his candidates are in hot water

CALGARY -- For the second time in recent memory, Stephen Harper has vigorously defended a political ally who's made controversial comments about immigrants being a key source of crime in Canada. Updated 3:42 PM

Harper makes modest environmental promises in land of Big Oil

CALGARY -- Stephen Harper is in oil country, making relatively modest promises about clean energy. Updated 3:42 PM

Female support for Liberals firming, Tories enjoy lead: poll

OTTAWA -- The latest polling numbers suggest Liberal support among women has been firming in recent days at the expense of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Updated 3:43 PM

NDP would spend $1B in first year on catastrophic drug plan

VANCOUVER -- NDP Leader Jack Layton is invoking the name of Tommy Douglas as he promises to implement a national catastrophic drug plan. Updated 3:43 PM

Dion pitches Liberal vision

TORONTO -- Stephane Dion ventured into Liberal-friendly territory today in Toronto, where he was hoping to sell his vision of Canada to a small group of residents from a west-end nursing home. Updated 3:44 PM

Insiders Poll: Loewen in the lead

SOUTH Winnipeg appears to be bucking national and local trends, moving toward the Liberals in recent days, a new Free Press Insiders survey suggests. Updated 11:45 AM

Web crusade against Tories gains strength

HALIFAX -- Strategic voting is taking on new proportions as grassroots politicos push organized online efforts to turn this election away from the Conservatives. Updated 11:47 AM

Tories set sights on spammers, gas gougers

VICTORIA — The Conservatives promise to go after gas companies for price-fixing with legislation that would make it easier to prove collusion and impose stiffer penalties for infractions.

More election coverage Updated 4:22 PM

The latest promises

Conservatives

Election Roundup

Embattled Ritz vanishes

Majority scare sends Quebecers to Bloc

MONTREAL -- A jump in support for the Bloc Québécois in recent opinion polls can be attributed to concerns in Quebec about the possibility of a majority Conservative government, says a senior pollster. Updated 8:14 AM

Tory candidate blames immigrants for crime

OTTAWA - Opposition parties clamoured Thursday for the Conservatives to turf a Calgary candidate for making intolerant remarks about immigrants. Updated 7:50 PM

Dion pledges Liberal loyalty to Israel

IN a bid to shore up Grit support among Jewish voters, Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion came to the heart of the city's Jewish community to make clear his party's support for Israel.
VIDEO: Campaign stop: In one minute Updated 8:16 AM

Bloc rebound hurts Tories in Quebec: poll

OTTAWA -- A new poll suggests the Bloc Quebecois has rebounded in Quebec and is way ahead of the Conservatives. Updated 9:52 AM

Thumbs down to culture cuts

TORONTO -- Some of Canada's most recognizable film and TV stars took aim Wednesday at Prime Minister Stephen Harper's assertion that working-class Canadians cannot relate to artists who go to "rich galas" and whine about their government subsidies. Updated 7:08 AM

The latest promises

Conservatives

Election Roundup

Mounties target reporters

Dion promises cash for 'communities at risk'

Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion used the backdrop of the Asper Centre and its students to announce a $75-million Communities at Risk program if his party forms the next government. Updated 4:43 PM

Harper vows crack down on polluters

VANCOUVER -- A Conservative government would crack down on polluters and stiffen penalties for companies and individuals, says Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Updated 12:54 PM

Layton would withdraw from softwood lumber pact

KENORA, Ont. -- NDP Leader Jack Layton is promising to withdraw from the Canada-U.S. softwood lumber agreement and renegotiate the deal if he forms the next government. Updated 10:08 AM

Seat tally ultimate test for Greens

How can you tell when someone has truly arrived in politics? Updated 10:31 AM

Manitoba guaranteed two new faces

MANITOBANS will have 75 different candidates to choose from in the province's 14 ridings when they go to the polls on Oct. 14. Updated 10:32 AM

May unveils her agenda for farmers, lakes

ELIZABETH May rolled into Winnipeg Tuesday on her cross-country whistle-stop train tour to promote her plans to make Canadian farms greener and to clean up Lake Winnipeg. Updated 6:13 AM

The latest promises

Conservatives

Election Roundup

Harper swipes at arts

Greens roll into Winnipeg

The Green Party's Elizabeth May rolled into Winnipeg today to promote family farms in Canada. Updated 10:13 AM

Harper calls notion of NDP-Liberal coalition affront to democracy

SASKATOON -- Stephen Harper is decrying the very notion of an NDP-Liberal coalition government as a violation of the will of Canadian voters. Updated 3:59 PM

Harper would restrict use of house arrest

SASKATOON -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he would restrict the use of house arrest and force criminals to do more time in prison. Updated 11:58 AM

NDP candidate resigns over naked swim

VICTORIA — The federal New Democrat candidate for the B.C. riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands has resigned. Updated 12:55 PM

Pocketbook issues to confront leaders

OTTAWA -- The pocketbook issues that have been tormenting Canadian consumers in recent months were expected to confront federal leaders on the campaign trail Tuesday as inflation hit its highest level in more than five years. Updated 10:11 AM

Liberals place cards on table

OTTAWA -- The "richer, fairer, greener" Liberal government proposed by Stéphane Dion would spend millions to clean up Lake Winnipeg, protect the boreal forest, resurrect the Kelowna Accord and pour funding into Manitoba's dream of becoming a clean energy hub for Canada. Updated 2:42 PM

Pro-lifers tied to Tories

A provincial pro-life group is endorsing two federal Conservative candidates in Winnipeg -- even though one doesn't want to be publicly identified, the group's leader says. Updated 2:50 AM

Tories target kid criminals

CONSERVATIVE Leader Stephen Harper's promise to scrap Canada's young offenders law was met with a thumbs-up in Manitoba from Justice Minister David Chomiak. Updated 2:50 AM

Layton says prime-time TV shows should be Canadian

QUEBEC -- NDP Leader Jack Layton wants to ensure that prime-time TV shows are written and produced by Canadians and feature Canadian stars.

Green Party leader speaks from train today

Green Party leader Elizabeth May is expected to arrive in Winnipeg aboard a train to give a whistle stop speech today. Updated 6:59 AM

Election briefs

New NAFTA needed: NDP

Layton broaches idea of political alliance

HAMILTON, Ont. -- NDP Leader Jack Layton says he's good at working with other people to solve problems -- and the problem right now is Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Updated 3:18 PM

Promises so far in the 2008 federal election

OTTAWA -- Key promises in the federal election campaign, with projected costs where applicable and available: Updated 2:03 PM

Green leader brings retro touch to modern campaign

JASPER, Alta. — It’s part campaign tour, part family vacation by rail. Updated 3:46 PM

Liberal platform: Out with the new, in with the old

OTTAWA — Stephane Dion’s Liberal plan for a “richer, fairer and greener Canada” in some respects goes back to the future, proposing to eliminate a number of key Conservative policies and restore measures championed by Paul Martin.

Liberals promise income trust roll back
Layton broaches idea of political alliance
May plans whistle-stop speech from train Tuesday
Tories would let teens be named Updated 4:01 PM

Tories would let teens be named

OTTAWA -- The Conservatives are promising to strip away some of the Youth Criminal Justice Act's protections for adolescent criminals. Updated 2:49 PM

Stylist helps PM put best face forward

OTTAWA -- She is blond, vivacious, wears mirrored sunglasses and hauls around a duffel bag stuffed with Stephen Harper's beauty secrets. Updated 2:55 AM

It's the Rubik's Cube of political races

For those of us who toil daily to report on the federal election, it's the worst possible question you could field. Updated 2:57 PM

Harper top of the heap despite Ritz misstep

It was far from Prime Minister Stephen Harper's best political week. Updated 2:47 PM

Bus blog sinks Tory hopeful

TORONTO -- The Conservative candidate for a downtown Toronto riding has stepped down amid controversy over comments he posted on his blog. Updated 2:55 AM

Election Roundup

Tories won't back down

Campaign trail videos - Sept. 22

The Liberal Party unveiled its entire platform today. Stephane Dion comments on several of the topics inside while at a press conference in Ottawa. Courtesy Global National. Updated 2:08 PM

Canada hardly fired up to vote

OTTAWA -- Signs are up, ads are running, scandals are erupting, and billions of dollars are being offered to sway voters -- but are Canadians paying much attention to the election? Updated 2:55 AM

Leaders: show us who you really are

MONTREAL -- It had all the makings of a secret rendezvous. Updated 1:12 PM

Liberal support slip sliding away

OTTAWA -- A new poll suggests Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion is having trouble gaining political traction, even with voters traditionally drawn to the Grit brand, and is bleeding support on all sides. Updated 1:58 PM

This week in mudslinging

Putting up with Ritz

Saturday's promises

Conservatives

Election Roundup

Layton denies dope deal

It's a wide-open race in Quebec

MONTREAL -- NDP MP Thomas Mulcair sits in his third-floor campaign office near the edge of Montreal's famed Mount Royal Park, and gestures wildly with his hands while speaking a mile a minute. Updated 11:38 AM

Ex-Alliance MP to Ritz: Quit

MONTREAL -- A former Canadian Alliance party MP joined government scientists, opposition leaders and families of victims of the listeriosis crisis in calling for Gerry Ritz's job, even as Prime Minister Stephen Harper continued to defend his embattled agriculture minister. Updated 7:45 AM

Dion woos rural voters with $1.2-B plan

HEADINGLEY-- Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion rolled out the agriculture portion of his Green Shift plan Friday, along with a $1.2-billion spending promise to woo voters.

VIDEO: Stephane Dion greets voters in Headingley Updated 9:12 AM

Tories surge to 40 per cent in survey

OTTAWA -- Stephen Harper's Conservatives have moved within reach of a majority, despite a series of gaffes by members of the party, according to results of an Ipsos Reid poll. Updated 9:35 AM

Ready for Prime time

When Opposition Leader John Diefenbaker chastised Pierre Elliott Trudeau for wearing a sporty yellow ascot in the House of Commons in 1967, the 46-year-old justice minister snapped back that "people are more interested in ideas than dress." Updated 12:15 PM

Friday's promises

Liberals

Election Roundup

Green goes first

Tory apologies add up

OTTAWA -- The highly polished Conservative campaign machine is struggling to clean itself up after a tasteless joke and a careless comment forced two apologies in little more than 12 hours.

Victim's son demands Harper get rid of Ritz Updated 7:23 AM

Tories, Greens gain ground at expense of NDP, Liberals, poll suggests

OTTAWA -- A new poll suggests the Liberals and the NDP have slipped slightly in popular support, with the Tories and the Greens gaining ground. Updated 10:08 AM

'Cold cuts' crack still haunting Harper

OTTAWA -- Gerry Ritz's controversial sense of humour haunted Stephen Harper for a second straight day today as food scientists and the son of a woman who died of listeriosis urged the campaigning Conservative leader to cut loose his agriculture minister. Updated 11:52 AM

Layton struggles with NDP tradition

This should be the time of Jack Layton's life. Updated 6:41 AM

Infrastructure, seniors earn leaders' attention

NDP Leader Jack Layton rolled out a $2.5 billion home-care promise in Winnipeg Thursday while Manitoba Liberal candidates talked up a Grit infrastructure plan that would pump $2.8 billion into the province over 10 years. Updated 9:15 AM

Roller-coaster action in some city ridings

Despite a lacklustre national campaign that has so far failed to excite Manitobans, there's lots of volatility in several key Winnipeg ridings, a new Free Press tracking poll suggests. Updated 10:44 AM

The latest promises

Liberals

Election Roundup

Liberals not draining Tories

Victim's son demands Harper get rid of Ritz

SWIFT CURRENT, Sask. -- The son of a Saskatchewan woman who contracted the strain of listeriosis linked to the Maple Leaf recall is furious that the federal agriculture minister was yukking it up about the outbreak days after her death. Updated 7:12 AM

Infrastructure, seniors earn leaders' attention

NDP Leader Jack Layton rolled out a $2.5 billion home-care promise in Winnipeg Thursday while Manitoba Liberal candidates talked up a Grit infrastructure plan that would pump $2.8 billion into the province over 10 years. Updated 2:55 AM

Layton: $1 billion for seniors' home-care program

Federal NDP Leader Jack Layton today promised a national home-care program for seniors if his party forms the next government. Updated 11:31 AM

Liberals would give $2.8 billion for infrastructure

Manitoba will get about $2.8 billion from Ottawa for infrastructure renewal under a Liberal plan announced today to beef up Canada's trade competitiveness and recreation facilities. Updated 12:37 PM

Aboriginals call remark by Tory minister’s aide racist

OTTAWA -- A group of aboriginal protesters has expressed outrage at what it describes as a racist slur by a member of Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon's staff. Updated 6:50 AM

Economy OK but not immune: Flaherty

Canada's economy is healthy despite this week's turmoil on world markets, federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said during a campaign stop in Winnipeg today. Updated 10:44 AM

NDP leader here today

Federal NDP leader Jack Layton will be in Winnipeg at 10 a.m. today for an announcement with Manitoba NDP Premier Gary Doer at Assiniboia West Recreation Community Association, 305 Morgan Cres. Updated 9:16 AM

First Nations issues overlooked; Fontaine not shocked

OTTAWA -- They're Canada's first citizens, but so far in this election, more than one million aboriginal people have been all but last when it comes to getting any attention from those running to be prime minister. Updated 10:57 AM

Glover faces review over police work

CITY police officer and Conservative candidate Shelly Glover is the subject of a Law Enforcement Review Agency hearing, the woman behind the complaint says. Updated 10:09 AM

The latest promises

Liberals

Election Roundup

Harper says no to flavoured, child-luring smokes

Harper woos Quebec with offer of CRTC perks

SAGUENAY, Que. -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper ventured into Quebec's one-time separatist heartland Wednesday, intent on wooing crucial votes and deflecting flak from nearly $45 million in spending cuts for arts and culture. Updated 11:26 AM

Strong government needed: Harper

OTTAWA -- Stephen Harper is making his most direct pitch yet for a majority mandate from Canadian voters, saying it will require a forceful government in Ottawa to weather the financial turbulence on the horizon. Updated 2:55 AM

Report on war costs to be released

OTTAWA -- Stephen Harper has given his blessing to the release of a report on the cost of the Afghan war -- news that could dash his hopes for a vital breakthrough in Quebec. Updated 10:33 AM

Police union yanks endorsement of officer Glover

THE Winnipeg Police Association has landed in the middle of the campaign fight in St. Boniface after flip-flopping over its decision to endorse city cop and Tory candidate Shelley Glover. Updated 7:20 AM

Today's promises

Conservatives

Election roundup

We've got to stop meeting like this!

How long will Conservatives' new mood last?

Which Jim Flaherty will show up in Manitoba? Updated 2:55 AM

Market meltdown on agenda

As North Americans tried to figure out what impact free-falling international financial markets would have on their bottom line, Stephen Harper told a group of Canadians, already hammered by the slumping economy, that Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion's carbon tax will do more damage. Updated 12:43 PM

Campaign trail videos - Sept. 16

Conservative leader Stephen Harper announced plans today to offer a $5,000 tax break for first-time home buyers while at a campaign stop in Kitchener, ON. Courtesy Global National Updated 4:30 PM

Facebook the new hustings

The lawn signs have moved onto Facebook. Updated 12:45 PM

Katz expects city issues will emerge onto agenda

MUNICIPAL issues haven't yet figured prominently in the current federal election campaign -- but Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz says he expects party leaders will soon address the challenges facing Canada's cities. Updated 12:45 PM

Election Roundup

Gaffe in Maloway release

Layton makes $1-B health care promise

HALIFAX — NDP Leader Jack Layton made a billion-dollar promise today to fix the health-care system once and for all — a vow quickly dismissed by the Conservatives as too costly.

VIDEO: Economy top issue for Prairie voters: poll Updated 6:37 PM

Harper goes to the spa

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper went to the spa today for a different kind of makeover: he needs to polish his image with urban women and hopes new benefits for entrepreneurial moms will help.

VIDEO: Today's promises from party leaders Updated 3:41 PM

Voters don't buy new Dion image

OTTAWA -- Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion's failure to connect with Canadians is emerging as a critical factor in the federal election and a key challenge for the Liberals entering the second week of the campaign, a new poll suggests. Updated 2:55 AM

Campaign trail videos - Sept. 15

Liberal leader Stephane Dion announced a $400 million plan to aid the fishing industry while in St. John's, NFLD on Monday. Courtesy Global National. Updated 3:05 PM

Campaign trail videos - Sept. 13 & 14

NDP Jack Layton went on the offensive at a brunch meeting in Gatineau, QC on Sunday. Updated 1:14 PM

This week in mudslinging

Rule No. 1: Leave dead soldiers alone

The Insiders

The Free Press has assembled a panel of insiders from the Tories, Liberals and NDP who have helped run campaigns and are political animals through and through. Each week, they will bring their analysis of the electoral week that was. We'll be referring to them by code name in order to protect their identity so they can give you the frankest possible assessment of their team's political performance as well as their foes'. Updated 1:22 PM

Why is it so tough being Green?

VICTORIA -- A dethroned B.C. Green party leader once called the party's powerful B.C. environment wing the "tie-dyed Mafia." Updated 2:55 AM

Politicians are not stars; it's Canada, remember

TORONTO -- It was the middle of the first week of the election campaign and I was fully enmeshed, as if there was nothing else going on in the world. Updated 6:28 AM

Dion vows to reverse Tory immigration changes, pledge $800M to clear backlog

RICHMOND, B.C. -- Stephane Dion says a Liberal government would reverse legislative changes to the immigration system that his party abstained from defeating this spring. Updated 4:16 PM

Dion targets 'hidden agenda'

Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion once again raised the spectre of Stephen Harper's "hidden agenda" on Saturday, an accusation Dion has frequently levelled at the prime minister to describe a Tory government he believes is secretive, ideological, and more right wing than Harper lets on. Updated 2:55 AM

Tory gaffes fail to stir polling results

CALL it the Teflon effect. Though there was plenty of media coverage of Conservative party mistakes, by the end of Week 1 most polls didn't reflect a drop in Tory support. Updated 12:29 PM

Grits should fear B.C.'s carbon-tax uneasiness

VANCOUVER -- If Stéphane Dion takes a long, hard look at what's happening in British Columbia, he will see exactly why his Green Shift seems destined to fail. Updated 12:17 PM

Election Roundup

PM's 88 keys to election

Battleground green

VANCOUVER -- The butcher shop run by Sebastian Cortez in upscale West Vancouver is chock full of the best things in life. Updated 11:24 AM

Tory majority may be a dream: poll

OTTAWA -- Stephen Harper's Tories have a commanding lead over Stéphane Dion's Liberals nationally, but the Conservatives' failure to secure first place in the key electoral battlegrounds of Ontario and Quebec could stop them from winning a majority government, suggests a new poll. Updated 2:28 PM

Crime not on leaders' minds

TORONTO -- In broad daylight on Tuesday afternoon on Canada's busiest freeway, a 29-year-old man was shot and then tossed into traffic from a moving car. Updated 2:28 PM

Elections Canada monitors vote-swapping

OTTAWA -- Canada's electoral watchdog is investigating the legality of an online vote-swapping scheme. Updated 2:29 PM

Election Roundup

Hot for Harper

Dion promises home energy retrofit program

BURNABY, B.C. -- Liberal Leader Stephane Dion visited a leafy housing co-op today to announce almost $600 million in energy retrofit tax breaks. Updated 2:49 PM

Poll suggests Harper could be headed for majority

OTTAWA - Stephen Harper got some good news Friday amid the bad headlines - a new poll suggests his Conservatives could be headed for a majority government. Updated 7:35 PM

Unions call for voting based on food safety policies

TORONTO -- A new advertising campaign launched by two national unions is urging the public to vote for the candidate who pays the most attention to food safety issues. Updated 12:05 PM

Liberal-Green co-operation does not extend beyond leaders’ ridings

TORONTO -- Green Leader Elizabeth May says there is no deal between her party and the Liberals beyond what she called the leaders' "courtesy arrangement" of not running candidates in each other's ridings. Updated 12:33 PM

Harper would open up firms to foreigners, with security caveats

HALIFAX -- A re-elected Conservative government would make it easier for foreign companies to buy Canadian ones under a series of promises made Friday by Stephen Harper. Updated 1:36 PM

Layton promises tough regulation, monitoring of fuel prices

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. -- If the New Democrats wanted to capitalize on consumer outrage in this campaign, they couldn't have picked a better day as the price of gasoline soared today by as much as 15 cents a litre in some markets. Updated 10:16 AM

Survey says St. Boniface will switch to Tories

In the first provincial snapshot of the federal election, Stephen Harper's Tories are well out in front and poised to add another seat to their Manitoba riding count. Updated 2:56 PM

Official's blunder shakes Tories

ST-EUSTACHE, Que. -- Stephen Harper's campaign was once again sideswiped by an overzealous supporter Thursday, as a senior Conservative official was suspended for remarks made about the father of a Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan. Updated 7:12 AM

Early gaffes put focus on war rooms

OTTAWA -- It's been called everything from the Tory "Death Star" to the "fear factory." Updated 7:16 AM

Oh, yeah... there are election issues

MONTREAL -- The Liberal Green Shift plan would drive the country into recession, said Prime Minister Stephen Harper, using some his sharpest language yet to attack Stéphane Dion's platform. Updated 7:01 AM

Widow of former MP Chuck Cadman declines to talk of controversy

VANCOUVER - The widow of former MP Chuck Cadman, a Conservative candidate whose allegations about a Tory offer made to her husband on his death bed continue to dog the party, has clammed up about the controversy. Updated 6:52 AM

Itineraries for the five federal party leaders

OTTAWA -- Itineraries for the federal party leaders today (all times local): Updated 6:39 AM

Friday's Election Roundup

Maxim has hots for Dhalla

National unity, economy, carbon tax on election agenda

OTTAWA -- The Liberal party's carbon-tax plan will plunge Canada into a "big recession" that will so inflame different regions of the country as to threaten national unity, says Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Updated 12:47 PM

Promises made so far in the 2008 federal election campaign

OTTAWA -- Promises made so far in the federal election campaign, with projected costs where applicable and available: Updated 2:50 PM

Facebook group provides chance to vote swap in federal election

SASKATOON -- A Facebook group is trying to pair up Canadians willing to swap votes in the federal election to keep the Conservatives from winning seats in tight ridings. Updated 3:10 PM

Top Tory campaign official suspended over latest gaffe

OTTAWA - The latest blunder in the gaffe-prone Harper campaign has cost the Conservatives their communications director. Updated 1:50 PM

Afghan pullout by 2011

TORONTO -- Canada's war in Afghanistan will come to end in 2011, Prime Minister Stephen Harper declared in the kind of unequivocal statement he's resisted making for over two-and-a-half-years. Updated 7:25 AM

Gaffes are coming fast and furious

VANCOUVER -- Who will be the first leader to lose the election? Updated 8:24 AM

'Power of the people' got spot in debate: May

OTTAWA -- Green party Leader Elizabeth May is hailing people power after winning her battle to be included in the federal election leaders debates. Updated 7:38 AM

Economy is big talker issue for Ontario voters

TORONTO - Trish and Jim McAuliffe survived the last round of job cuts at the General Motors truck plant in Oshawa in January. Updated 7:37 AM

Election Roundup

New blast at PM

Campaign trail videos: Sept. 10

NDP leader Jack Layton unveiled a proposal to aid the auto sector outside the GM plant in Oshawa, ON today. Courtesy Global National Updated 3:39 PM

Reporter stumps PM with veggie metaphor

WINNIPEGGERS got a "juicy" quote from Conservative Leader Stephen Harper Tuesday as he outlined his party's proposed fuel tax cut. Updated 12:20 PM

Harper touts diesel tax cut

Prime Minister Stephen Harper used Winnipeg and a backdrop of fresh vegetables to make his first campaign promise by pledging to cut the excise tax on diesel fuel in half. Updated 12:28 PM

Parties increase female nominees

OTTAWA -- Canada's political parties are set to put more women on the ballot than in 2006. Updated 12:49 PM

Harper backs away from negative ad

OTTAWA -- A vulgar Internet ad forced Stephen Harper to hit the re-set button on his campaign Tuesday, prompting the prime minister into an embarrassing apology that buried his party's first policy announcement. Updated 2:49 PM

Today's Buzz: Puffin Poop

The Conservatives launched a new anti-Stéphane Dion website (notaleader.ca), ruffling more than a few feathers with an animated puffin that flew past an image of the Liberal leader and pooped on his shoulder. Updated 11:31 AM

Election Roundup

Hip help for Dion

Hey, he's just your average middle-class image-maker

VANCOUVER-- Apparently, millions of middle-class Canadians have a new champion. Updated 10:19 AM

Campaign trail videos: Sept. 9

Conservative leader Stephen Harper made his first Winnipeg stop today to announce a plan to cut diesel taxes. Updated 10:52 AM

Green leader seeing red

Partisan bickering and allegations of lies and mismanagement gave way to threats of court action Monday on the first full day of the 2008 federal election. Updated 9:36 AM

Ridings to watch: the dirty dozen

St. Boniface

Election Roundup

Tories tops

Steen, Maloway facing off

LONGTIME Elmwood MLA Jim Maloway was picked Sunday to lead the NDP in Elmwood-Transcona in the federal election. Updated 2:00 AM

Harper's image may trump Tory troubles

It is tough to recall a more improbable election than the one Stephen Harper has triggered. Updated 2:00 AM

Mission might sway election

OTTAWA -- The enemy has a vote. It was a favourite phrase of now retired general Rick Hillier, one of Canada's most quotable military commanders. Updated 6:39 AM

Harper calls election for Oct. 14

OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper, weary of waiting for the opposition to bring down his minority government, dashed his promise of a fixed election date and pulled the plug himself today to end 31 months of Conservative rule. Updated 10:00 AM

And they're at the post...

OTTAWA -- Thirty-six days and counting. Updated 7:54 AM

Leaders have more to lose than seats

OTTAWA -- When federal political leaders come knocking on your door after the Governor General dutifully dissolves Parliament today, they won't just be fishing for your vote -- they'll be fighting for their jobs. Updated 9:07 AM

Hargrove offers final ‘salute’ to PM

TORONTO -- Canada's most prominent union leader raised his middle finger in disgust over Stephen Harper's Con­servative government Saturday, accus­ing the prime minister of trying to buy the votes of auto workers in an election campaign that will start Sunday. Updated 7:28 AM