Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, on his way into the Oct. 7 leaders debate at the History Museum in Gatineau, Que. Mr. Trudeau is running for re-election on a plan to run deficits of more than $20-billion per year for the foreseeable future. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
Debt, deficit ‘not ballot booth issues’ for most Canadians: pollsters
Unlike in the last election, none of the major party leaders has promised to try and balance the budget within a four year mandate during this campaign.
‘It’s definitely in the top quadrant’: election campaign one of dirtiest in recent history, say political insiders
This campaign is not defined by any overarching issue, and has become ‘personal’ and ‘ugly’ between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, says pollster and Ipsos president Darrell Bricker.‘They’re really riled up here’: Conservatives circling Goodale’s lone Liberal seat in Saskatchewan
‘The numbers are holding very closely to what they were last time. It all depends on turnout,’ says the 31-year MP Ralph Goodale. Politics This Morning
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If it’s a minority government, Liberals can stay in power even if Conservatives win more seats on Oct. 21, but could prompt public backlash
'Does that create a legitimacy question, for Trudeau to combine with Singh, or not? There’s no legal impediment to it,' says former CBC Parliament Hill bureau chief Elly Alboim.Candidates scramble to outperform their competitors in the critical ground game ahead of next week’s election
Liberal MP Ken Hardie says his team has set up get-out-the-vote ground operations in the riding to get all his supporters to the polling booths on election day.Mendicino campaigning with Liberal stars as gun violence takes centre stage in Eglinton-Lawrence
There have been 26 shootings in the riding in this calendar year. Tight contest between Liberals, Conservatives, lower voter turnout could benefit third parties, experts say
With a campaign that has been 'characterized by bickering' and personal attacks, and less about policy, turnout doesn’t appear poised to hit the same levels as the last election, says pollster Nik Nanos.Trudeau’s Liberals outpacing Scheer’s Conservatives in Facebook ad spending
The Conservatives directed fewer ad dollars to Mr. Scheer’s page, funnelling 77 per cent of its spending to the national party page, compared to just 6.5 per cent to the leader’s profile.NDP looking to capitalize on Singh swing to make federal breakthrough in Brampton East
With former Liberal Raj Grewal not in the running after his gambling scandal, the NDP are mounting a fierce campaign in party leader Jagmeet Singh’s home turf.Tossed Tory candidate ‘changes everything,’ with two-way fight shaping up in Burnaby North-Seymour
Once viewed as a three-way race, Burnaby North-Seymour is now seen as a tight, two-way contest between the rookie Liberal incumbent and his experienced NDP challenger.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, on his way into the Oct. 7 leaders debate at the History Museum in Gatineau, Que. Mr. Trudeau is running for re-election on a plan to run deficits of more than $20-billion per year for the foreseeable future. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
Debt, deficit ‘not ballot booth issues’ for most Canadians: pollsters
Unlike in the last election, none of the major party leaders has promised to try and balance the budget within a four year mandate during this campaign.
Buckle up, it’s going to get nastier
The campaign will ultimately come down to which is more formidable, Conservative cash or Justin Trudeau’s cachet.This campaign has been getting odder by the day
The bottom line is that when you are literally one turkey dinner away from the vote, the last thing Andrew Scheer needs is public speculation about who will replace him when he loses.How would the Liberals achieve our 2030 emission reduction pledge and move on to net zero emissions by 2050?
Canada faces as critical future, one where there are serious challenges.
Liberals passing the buck on weapons ban
If the Liberal government truly believes that the legal availability of assault weapons puts the public at risk, then why not enact measures that are available to them right now, while they are still in power?Trudeau’s legislative record unlikely to motivate voters in the fall, with a few exceptions: pollsters
Many achievements and blunders enshrined in legislation are ancient history in the minds of voters, who cast their ballots based on the next thing you can do for them, say politicos and pollsters.Will the Senate respect democracy and First Nations rights?
Three important pieces of legislation sit in the Senate today, subject to the whim of a small group of Senators, which is a gross undermining of the democratic process.
Little difference between Liberal, Conservative policies on defence
Regardless of which party gets into power on Oct. 21, expect that we will continue to support the forward deployment in Latvia, the training mission in Ukraine, and the two separate contingents we have in Iraq.Canadian Catholic bishops show world leadership in condemning nuclear weapons
Canadian Catholic bishops have done a double service in nudging their fellow bishops around the world and waking up Canadian foreign policy at a critical moment.Betraying the Kurds, again
Erdogan’s strategy is quite clear. He says he is going to create a 'safe zone' in northern Syria by driving the 'Kurdish terrorists' out.
Despite majority support for a Canadian handgun ban, the politics of doing so may remain insurmountable
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals promised in 2015 to take handguns and assault weapons ‘off our streets,’ but have made only limited progress in the face of strong opposition.Tale as old as time: Liberal ethics breach proves politics still about comforting the comfortable
The SNC-Lavalin affair is about a political system that is rife for abuse, and those responsible for the recent abuses are seeking re-election on a platform of open and transparent government. Last chance to lobby MPs sees June numbers shrink, with influencers eyeing the campaign season
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business led in groups lobbying MPs as June’s 1,446 reported communications halved the total reported in May.
Tassi, O’Regan exit their campaigns to tend to ill family members, Tassi’s mother dies on Oct. 12
Plus, a political ad on the frontpage of the National Post, and Justin Ling debunks conspiracy theory, Warren Kinsella loses his mind.
Hanging up the whip: NDP staffer Rob Sutherland retires after 30 years on the Hill
Plus, Ottawa NDP candidate wants free OC Transpo fares on election day, and Jagmeet Singh gets new fans in Drake, Rihanna.
New Canadian envoy arrives in China, has yet to present letter of credence
Plus, Trudeau talks fight for political life with U.S. foreign policy analyst Ian Bremmer, and CP's Teresa Wright to stay in Ottawa full-time.
New book explores legacy of the first female Supreme Court chief justice
Plus, Spud farmer Lawrence MacAulay calls former prime minister Stephen Harper's policies a dud in the latest Liberal ad, and Pat Sorbara is releasing a memoir on her life as a political staffer.New Chinese envoy arrives in Ottawa
Plus, the themes of the Leaders' Debates will be announced on Sept. 30, and Lisa Raitt canvassers attacked by dogs. Liberal campaign spinning its wheels: media bus gives the Grits more trouble
Plus, Munk's foreign policy debate has been cancelled due to Trudeau's no-show, and Ken Rubin wins his court case. 
The Arctic is being overlooked in this election
Climate change is just one issue important to Inuit that's not on the electoral radar, but which should be. A partial list also includes health, contaminants, reconciliation, and Arctic sovereignty and shipping.
Betting on technological and financial innovation to fight climate change
Numerous solutions based on technological innovation are already being developed, most, however, need complementary financial innovations to scale-up and have a significant impact.
Mental health policy could be political winner in this election, but it’s not being talked about
A robust mental health policy promise could help sway millennial and female voters, polls show.
Only one national strategy can address today’s mental health crisis: putting the patient first
Those engaged on a public policy level must rethink their approach, clear away the backlog of long-term planning cycles and dedicate resources to building a supportive framework based on a single fundamental question.Investing in mental health is a sound strategy
If a government invests in the mental wellness of its people, it will be well on its way to addressing Canadians’ top priorities.
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Politics This Morning: Advance polls open; Scheer to unveil platform in B.C.
Elsewhere, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau is holding an early-morning rally at 7:30 a.m. with Ottawa-area candidates downtown, at Queen St. Fare.
The carbon price is a risky ballot question for the Liberals, opposing Doug Ford and Jason Kenney is not.
Wireless communication devices emit pulsed electromagnetic fields (EMFs) where the pulsations communicate the information. The smarter the device, the more they pulse.
It would make for better elections if we could focus on a small set of consistent national goals, and achieve those goals. 
The next government in power after Oct. 21 must seize the moment and satisfy the financial needs of Canadian veterans and their dependants.
What we see in the Atwater Market incident is a greater concern for white comfort and forgiveness than for Jagmeet Singh and candidates and Canadians like him.
It is most certainly a step in the right direction to have a third-party body organize debates. However, hopefully they will learn some lessons after this first experience.Vancouver Granville race a ‘toss-up,’ as Wilson-Raybould’s rivals urge voters not to pick someone ‘on the outside’
In Vancouver Granville, the race is heating up between Independent incumbent Jody Wilson-Raybould and her Liberal challenger, who's raising the spectre of a Conservative government to draw votes.
Politics This Morning
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PMO Ontario desk among handful of recent staff exits from top office
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Minister Ahmed Hussen has also seen a couple of staffers from his policy unit exit.Ex-staffers to ministers Hajdu, Carr hit the campaign trail
For one, Jeff Kovalik-Plouffe recently left International Trade Diversification Minister Jim Carr’s Ottawa office to take over as the MP’s 2019 campaign manager.Campaign signs across Canada are being defaced with hateful graffiti
Plus, Deb Schulte finishes final round of chemo, and a Tory riding association falsely claims Rick Mercer endorsement. Manitoba Liberal MPs not deterred by recent provincial Tory majority win
Plus, Maxime Bernier has been invited to take part in the official Leaders' Commission debates, and former Ottawa city councillor Clive Doucet is running for the Greens in Nova Scotia. Public servants, feds inch closer to contracts with tentative agreements before election
The Public Service Alliance of Canada remains at an impasse with the federal government however, with national president Chris Aylward saying they won’t take an ‘inferior’ deal just to get it done before the election. SAP Canada pitches NextGen plan to standardize human resources processes
When processes are 'standardized, the collective input into a payroll system becomes a lot simpler,' says Robert Conlin, SAP Canada's vice-president of the public sector.U.S. Embassy brings bayou to Bytown for Fourth of July
Though U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft was in Calgary, the U.S. Embassy's Fourth of July party was still filled with food and fun. Hill media descend on 24 Sussex for annual garden party
The prime minister opened up his backyard for one last shindig before politicians and journalists gear up for what's going to be a busy summer. Education, ‘food diplomacy,’ ICAO council seat among early priorities for Malaysian envoy
The 'timing is good' for more high level visits after Canada's fall federal election, says Nor'aini Binti Abd Hamid.Pakistani envoy urges Canada, world to be ‘more forceful’ with India on ‘humanitarian disaster’ in Kashmir
Pakistan has ‘regularly’ raised the issue with Canadian counterparts, says Raza Bashir Tarar, but the ‘festering’ situation in the ‘highly charged’ region is only getting worse.
Election 2019 advanced polls open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. until Monday, Oct. 14, election day next Monday, Oct. 21
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, pictured on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019, with former NDP leader Ed Broadbent at the Ottawa Farmers' Market at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa. Mr. Singh has campaigned in the riding numerous times since the 40-day election began on Sept. 11 and hopes his candidate Emilie Taman can beat Environment Minister Catherine McKenna who currently represents the riding. Ms. McKenna won 43 per cent of the vote in 2015 and with 32,111 votes. Then NDP MP Paul Dewar, who died this year of cancer, had represented the riding since 2006, but lost the riding with 38 per cent of the vote. Mr. Broadbent, 83, led the NDP from 1975 to 1989 and later represented Ottawa Centre from 2004-2006. The riding has historically gone back and forth between the Liberals and the NDP. Liberal George McIlraith represented it from 1968 to 1972, Liberal Hugh Poulin from 1972-1978, Progressive Conservative Robert de Cotret 1978-1979, Liberal John Evans from 1979-1984, NDP Michael Cassidy from 1984-1988, Liberal Mac Harb from 1988 to 2003, Mr. Broadbent from 2004-2006, Mr. Dewar from 2006-2015, and Ms. McKenna since 2015. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
Liberal incumbent Karen McCrimmon, who is running in the riding of Kanata-Carleton, Ont., at her campaign office on Oct. 10, a day before advance polls open. In the last election, Ms. McCrimmon won by a margin of 12 points. The race is expected to be a contest between Ms. McCrimmon and her Conservative challenger, Justina McCaffrey, who ran a bridal dress business in Ottawa.
Comedian Rick Mercer and then-Reform Party MP Deb Grey, pictured in the late 1990s on Parliament Hill doing a shoot for CBC's This Hour Has 22 Minutes, which Mr. Mercer hosted at the time. The Hill Times photograph by Terry McDonald 
