OTTAWA 鈥� A look at key developments Tuesday on the campaign trail:
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau ruled out support for any minority government under Tory Leader Stephen Harper but left open the possibility of working with the NDP. Harper warned that only the Conservatives could be trusted to steer the economy, while New Democrat Leader Tom Mulcair pitched help for younger workers.
In Montreal, Trudeau was emphatic his Liberals would never support a minority government led by Harper amid polls that suggest a clear winner may not emerge on Oct. 19. Trudeau鈥檚 pitch of the day was directed at the arts community 鈥� promising more money, as well as more financial support for the CBC. He accused the Conservatives of being 鈥渇ierce opponents鈥� of sa国际传媒鈥檚 cultural industry.
Harper said a re-elected Conservative government would aim to create 1.3 million new jobs and took aim at his rivals as risky options for steering sa国际传媒鈥檚 fragile economy through stormy global water. The Conservative leader was also forced to defend a party news conference on Sunday at which the Tories promised funding related to the Terry Fox cancer run and claimed the support of Fox鈥檚 family 鈥� a claim that drew criticism from Mulcair and the Fox family. Harper said there was nothing to apologize for.
Mulcair, who was in a province that has seen particularly nasty levels of youth unemployment, promised more help for younger workers, and those holding precarious jobs. Speaking in Moncton, N.B., he pledged to hold the line on employment insurance premiums, and to ensure cash-strapped governments would not be able to raid the fund like a 鈥減iggy bank.鈥� He also said an NDP government would extend leave for the second parent of a newborn child by five weeks.
Gilles Duceppe said his Bloc Quebecois would push for a constitutional exemption should the courts rule that women can veil their faces at citizenship ceremonies. He said the 鈥渘otwithstanding clause,鈥� which allows governments to override some charter rights, was tailor-made for such situations.
Green Leader Elizabeth May urged the federal government to stop giving private banking information of dual Canadian-American citizens to the U.S. to comply with laws south of the border. May said allowing Canadian banks to give personal financial information of Canadian citizens to another country is an unacceptable breach of privacy and an attack on citizenship, sovereignty and access to justice.
