The Conservatives, NDP and Greens returned to their national tours on Friday after an evening spent sparring in Toronto, while Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau picks up his campaign in Quebec.
Trudeau began his morning by promising a suite of packages aimed at helping small businesses, including eliminating so-called “swipe fee” on sales taxes that merchants must pay to credit-card companies on every transaction.
The Liberal leader is scheduled to end the day with a rally in his Montreal hometown.
Green Leader Elizabeth May is also heading back to family — joining her new husband, and fellow candidate, John Kidder for an event in the B.C. riding where he’s seeking a seat. Kidder is running in Mission-Matsqui-Fraser Canyon, a riding that sprawls in a vast crescent northeast of Vancouver.
And it’s back into the NDP family fold for leader Jagmeet Singh as well, who campaigns in Toronto before ending the day with a pizza party at the home of Olivia Chow, the former NDP MP and widow of the party’s beloved former leader Jack Layton.
Singh promised to put a price cap on cellphone and internet services, part of an election campaign platform that is aimed at appealing to voters worried about being able to afford the things they need in their everyday lives.
Telecom companies have previously warned that government attempts to restrict the cost of internet and cellphone services will hurt both the quality of service and investments in infrastructure.
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer is also campaigning in and around Toronto, making an announcement at a Mississauga bus garage in the morning, then visiting a pool hall and campaigning alongside Tory candidates in Etobicoke and Brampton.
The Toronto suburbs, within the city and in the “905” belt around it, are among the hottest battlegrounds this campaign, with lots of potential flips between the Liberals and the Conservatives. The New Democrats see opportunities, too, especially in Singh’s former hometown of Brampton.
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People’s Party Leader Maxime Bernier will campaign on his own home turf in Quebec’s Beauce region, including a photo op as he submits his nomination papers to Elections Canada.
Scheer, May and Singh crossed swords for the first official debate of the campaign last night, while Trudeau instead attended an event in Edmonton.
The Canadian Press
