The election campaign was in full swing, with debates in both official languages igniting interest after a sluggish start to the campaign. Polls have been tracking a decline in support for the Liberals, with support shifting to the Conservatives, making for a close race and an increased possibility of another minority government.  

The Green party released its platform this week, which makes explicit mention of credit unions. They propose a 5 per cent surtax on the banks’ profits that specifically excludes credit unions and caisses populaires. Additionally, they propose to partner with credit unions among others to finance co-op housing.  

The election campaign this week was characterized by a turn to the negative. The Trudeau Liberals who have been known for touting “sunny ways”, this week, released negative ads targeting Conservative leader Erin O’Toole, an indication that the race is tightening. Trudeau himself was also the victim of negative forces when he was the target gravel allegedly thrown by a riding president from the People’s Party of Canada.  

Following the French-language debate, Quebec Premier François Legault stated that nationalists in the province should be wary of the Liberal, NDP and Green parties and said that a Conservative minority would be best for Quebec. Quebec is a key battleground this election.  

The debates did not help Prime Minister Justin Trudeau regain momentum as he struggled to defend calling an election and to get his message across amid attacks from his opponents. Though with format of the English debate, and five participants, it was difficult for any of the leaders to break through with a detailed and compelling message and there were no knockout punches. The English debate focused on climate change, affordability and indigenous issues, a continuation of the themes that have dominated the campaign thus far.  

Advance polls open today and will remain open from September 10-13 from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Canadians can also go vote early at any Elections Canada office before Tuesday, September 14 at 6 p.m. 

Articles and Polling:  

• Tiff Macklem charts Bank of Canada's path out of pandemic stimulus - Financial Post 
• Federal leaders could do more to link corporate financial disclosure measures to climate action - Globe and Mail  
• Mortgage borrowing hits record in the second quarter, Statistics Canada says - Toronto Star 
• Canada’s Economic Recovery Needs to be Inclusive - New Canadian Media 
• If the federal parties really wanted to help seniors, they’d abolish mandatory RRIF withdrawals - Globe and Mail 
• People's Party of Canada drops riding president over stone-throwing incident at Trudeau event – CBC News 
• Quebec nationalists should beware of Liberals, Greens and NDP, Legault says – CBC News  

Find an update on the latest polls below:  
The latest polls have the Conservatives at 33.5%, the Liberals at 31.6%, the New Democrats at 20.0%, the BQ at 5.8%, the Greens at 3.0% and other at 6.2%, polling is only reflective of a particular moment in time, and anything can happen in an election. Stay tuned for more polling updates next week!