With less than a week until election day and polls showing the race tightening, Stephane Dion delivered a attack on Stephen Harper's leadership -- calling him out of touch with ordinary Canadians in the face of an economic crisis.
Harper is "totally out of touch with reality," Dion said. "He doesn't understand the impact of this economic turmoil of Canadians' daily lives.
"He's singing that same old song, 'Don't worry, be happy.'"
Dion spoke to the same Toronto business audience Wednesday where Harper revealed the Conservative election platform a day earlier and said that the plunging stock market offered "buying opportunities."
The Liberal leader delivered a speech laden on two principles -- that he understood Canadians' fears about their jobs and savings and that his party has a better economic record.
Dion was joined onstage by former finance ministers Ralph Goodale and Paul Martin. It was under Martin's guidance that the Jean Chretien government cut the massive deficits left by Conservative Brian Mulroney.
NDP Leader Jack Layton also attacked Harper along the same lines Dion did.
"Most Canadians are extremely concerned, and yet he's trying to suggest that going out and gambling some of your money is the right strategy," Layton said in Edmonton Wednesday morning.
"I think Canadians are looking for a government that's going to take this issue more seriously than that, and not be so cavalier or so casual."
Harper brushed aside his opponents' attacks in response, saying that Conservative economic proposals are "modest" and "realistic."
He defended his "buying opportunities" comment, saying it was his way of keeping his head.
"The prime minister doesn't join in a wave of stock-market panic and pessimism around the world," Harper said. "What the prime minister does is make sure that we have a long-term plan, that we're acting on it, and that we're identifying good, long-term investments for the Canadian economy."
The Tory leader also flipped the script on Layton and Dion, saying that they were the leaders who were out of touch, with their "risky schemes" to drive away jobs and increase taxes.
Harper credited Conservative initiatives, such as ridding the country 40-year mortgages, as reasons for why Canada will not suffer the same economic fate as the United States.
Conservatives losing support
A number of polls show that the Conservatives are bleeding support across the country, a trend that corresponds with the sputtering economy and wild drops in the stock markets.
The latest Canadian Press Harris-Decima poll gave the Tories 31 per cent support across Canada, just four percentage points above the resurgent Liberals.
The NDP are running in third at 20 per cent support.
"There's no question, it's been a tough week." Conservative strategist Tim Powers told Â鶹´«Ã½net Wednesday of the recent polling.
Until recently, the polls had the Tories firmly in front, edging towards a majority. But the latest polls show that Dion, once thought to be only in the running for opposition minister, is gaining.
On Wednesday, Dion told reporters that he expects to become prime minister and has a transition team in place for a change in government.
With files from The Canadian Press
