Liberal Leader Stephane Dion is celebrating his 53rd birthday on the campaign trail today. He held a rally in Toronto, where he told cheering supporters the Liberals have kept their promise to run more female candidates.
The party had promised that at least one third of its candidates would be women, a goal the Liberals have surpassed.
Flanked by female supporters, Dion added that the Conservatives have done little to protect women's rights. Twenty per cent of Tory candidates are women, while the Liberals are running 112 female candidates.
At the Toronto rally, Dion's wife, Janine Krieber, said the Harper government has provided disappointing leadership.
"Stephane Dion has continued to attract strong people around him. That is my definition of a strong leader," she said.
On Saturday, Dion and the Liberals accused the Tories of engaging in misleading campaign tactics. They said the Tories have unfairly questioned the patriotism of those who have criticized the Conservative government's policies.
During a question-and-answer period at the rally, Dion dismissed suggestions that a resurgent NDP could overtake the Liberals in the coming election.
"The NDP is not in the race to be a government. We all know that," he said.
Dion admitted the NDP would take away some votes, but he said his party offers the best choice for progressive Canadians.
He said the NDP is offering the "moon" but has no way to pay for the new spending that party leader Jack Layton is promising. The NDP proposals will increase corporate taxes and hurt businesses, Dion said.
"How many people will lose their jobs" under the NDP platform, he asked.
Dion said a Liberal government will:
- cut corporate taxes
- increase research and development funding
- increase tax incentives to foster green technologies
"We'll have a strong economy and, at the same time, we'll have a progressive government for our families and for women," he said.
Dion's comments came just minutes before Layton unveiled his party's platform at a boisterous rally in another part of Toronto. The NDP says they will help working families, give more opportunities to students, and bolster Canada's health care system.
Harper took the day off from campaigning on Sunday, a day after celebrating his high school reunion.
With files from The Canadian Press
