Tom Mulcair on offence in final campaign push through Quebec

Buoyed by news of a close race that could take down a Conservative minister, the NDP continued its final campaign push through Quebec today, rolling through the Saguenay region where the party took a majority of seats in the last election and hopes to win even more this time.

Party organizers in Quebec remain optimistic Tom Mulcair's NDP has significant support in the province, a strength that is not reflected in national polls.

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Mulcair was attending a rally in Sherbrooke Thursday night.

A new poll published in Le Quotidien newspaper shows Conservative regional minister Denis Lebel in a tight race with the NDP in the newly created Lac-Saint-Jean riding. Over breakfast in Montreal this morning, campaign staffers were crowing about the news and excited about the chance to display some strength.

Party insiders have been complaining about what they say is an unfair narrative that paints the NDP in trouble across the country, despite several apparent pockets of strength.

And the NDP feels it has the most depth in Quebec, which was at the centre of the orange wave in 2011. The NDP won 59 of the total 75 seats.

But the electoral landscape seems to have shifted. The Bloc Quebecois is a factor again in this election, and a rise in support for Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau must be accounted for, as well.

Trudeau is planning to make a whistle stop later today in Montreal's Outremont riding, the seat held by Mulcair and a former Liberal stronghold.

Asked about the symbolism of the Liberal move, Mulcair appeared unfazed and said "it's a free country." 

"My adversary in this election campaign is Stephen Harper. He's the person I want to defeat and replace. I'll let Justin Trudeau tell you who his adversary is," Mulcair said during a campaign event in Alma, Que.

The NDP leader said he has every intention to regain the trust of people in Outremont.

Despite the tightening race, NDP organizers are still pleased with the chances they see before them.

The party plans to take its tour to Sherbrooke later today and to Lac Mégantic tomorrow.

Conservative minister Christian Paradis is not running again in the Mégantic – L'Erable riding and the party senses opportunity there.

Mulcair's latest swing into Quebec started Wednesday at a pumpkin patch in L'Assomption, just outside Montreal.

Mulcair's media scrum strategy

That appearance followed a news conference in Dartmouth, N.S., in which a punchy Mulcair continued his recent pattern of using campaign talking points to pivot away from reporters' questions. The question and answer sessions are staged in front of an audience, and Mulcair has been either unwilling or unable to downshift from campaign speech mode to that of a politician in a scrum.

His answers seemed designed to encourage the crowd to rally behind the party.

The result has been a lack of meaningful answers to questions posed by reporters, and frustration on the tour.

The NDP Wednesday night decided to change that approach and instead make efforts to hold Mulcair's news conferences at a separate location, away from the crowds.

The party prefers the backdrop of enthusiastic supporters, but it realizes stories about its leader are increasingly thin on thoughtful comment from Mulcair.

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