PM out on hustings in Vaudreuil-Soulanges

With Vaudreuil-Soulanges in the off-island of Montreal named a "battleground riding" by just about every polling organization that has examined Canada's federal elections, the Conservative Party made a show of force there the other day, Prime Minister Stephen Harper appearing among party faithful and his group of Greater Montreal area candidates.

"Who said there are no Conservative militants in the Montreal region?" Harper asked with a beaming smile to thunderous applause by about 500 supporters that had turned up at the Ile Perrôt community centre.

He made no new promises on this stop, and neither did Michael Fortier, the Conservative-nominated Senator and minister who left his positions in order to run as a candidate in Vaudreuil-Soulanges for the party.

Rather they focused on what they say they have brought Canadians and Quebecers since they came to power in 2006.

"The average Canadian family, in taxes, saves more than $2,000 each and every year," Harper said, and also reminded voters of the $100 a month cheque given out to families for each child younger than six years of age to help with child care.

He added the provincial government has received more than $4.5 billion in aid from the federal government since 2006, allowing it to give Quebecers a cutback in provincial taxes as well.

"Whether it was for families, whether it was for seniors, whether it was for the middle class, or whether it was for the infrastructure so cherished by our beautiful region, we have delivered the merchandise," Fortier told the energized crowd before leaving the stage to Harper, whom he presented as a champion of the middle class.

Perhaps since the riding is now occupied by Bloc MP Meili Faille, as it has been since 2004, Harper reserved a lot of his criticism for the Bloc. "They're looking for a raison d'être since open federalism is working," he said, mentioning that Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe even offered to campaign with him to reform the Canadian Constitution.

"Vaudreuil-Soulanges is going to unblock," Fortier quipped to his supporters.

However, Harper and Fortier's boasts were belittled by Liberal rival Brigitte Legault in an interview with The Chronicle later. "In the polls, people in the region still seem to be Liberal," she said.

Legault reiterated one of the big issues for Vaudreuil-Soulanges was the restoration of the Soulanges Canal as a touristic and economic development tool for the region. "Since the beginning, the federal government has not been very cooperative," she said.

Fortier told The Chronicle a deal was in the works with the provincial government, but Legault appeared sceptical. "Maybe it's because I put pressure on him," she said, that he finally decided to move on it.

In 2006, Faille took the Vaudreuil-Soulanges vote with 43 per cent, Liberal candidate Marc Garneau trailing behind her at 28 per cent and Conservative Stéphane Bourgeon at 19 per cent.