End Harper decade, Trudeau demands

Liberal leader urges Canadians to oust ‘tired old government’

THUNDER BAY— Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau urged voters to end “the Harper decade” as he engaged in a cross-country sprint taking him from Halifax to Vancouver in the last days of the election campaign.

“We have a chance to get rid of this tired old government,” he told several hundred people braving a cold wind at the Thunder Bay airport.

“We have a chance to take Canada from Stephen Harper and give it back to Canadians.”

Earlier in Halifax, he said, “I think Canadians just need to look back over the last 10 years to realize that we can’t afford another 10 years like the last 10 years. It’s time to turn the page on the Harper decade.”

From Halifax, Trudeau headed to St. John, N.B., after which he flew west for events Saturday in Thunder Bay, Ont., and Winnipeg. After overnighting in Edmonton, he planned Sunday to rally supporters in Alberta before going on to British Columbia to wrap up his campaign on the eve of voting day.

“We have the chance to beat fear with hope . . . to beat cynicism with hard work,” Trudeau told supporters in a hotel ballroom in Halifax.

Aprotester briefly interrupted Trudeau’s speech, holding up a sign saying “Liberals In Bed With TransCanada Corp.” It was a reference to the uproar over the resignation of Dan Gagnier, the former Liberal campaign co-chair. Gagnier stepped down after it came out he sent a detailed email to Energy East pipeline proposer TransCanada Corp. with advice on how and when to deal with a new government, including a Liberal minority.

But in a press conference, Trudeau turned aside questions about wheth- er the momentum of his campaign has been slowed by the Gagnier affair.

“I continue to talk about the issues that matter to Canadians,” Trudeau said when asked about the impact of Gagnier’s resignation. He said he will focus on Liberal promises to help the middle class and to rearrange federal support programs so most families receive more help from Ottawa than they do now.

The Liberals have climbed steadily in the polls since the election was launched and Trudeau suggested it showed Canadian politics doesn’t have to be negative.

“There are a lot of people over the past few years who have come to the idea that the only way to win elections was by negative attacks and personal attacks on your opponents. The Liberal party has always said that’s not the way we want to operate.”

Trudeau’s events are drawing large, boisterous crowds and Liberals are hoping their party will pull in more voters who see Trudeau as the leader with the best chance to defeat the Conservatives. “There’s a growing sense that if you want to make a point, vote NDP. If you want to make a difference, vote Liberal,” Liberal candidate Scott Brison told the Star.

In Winnipeg, hundreds of people hoping to hear Trudeau speak lined the sidewalk for blocks outside the civic centre where the Liberal event was held.

Trudeau said if elected, the Liberals’ first act would be to bring in legislation cutting taxes for the middle class while raising them for those making over $200,000 a year.

“It’s not just about addressing inequality, although that’s important. It’s also about making sure the Canadian economy starts growing,” he said.

On the international front, Trudeau said a priority would be improving relations with the United States.