Pierre Poilievre, Jagmeet Singh in Hamilton to sway local voters in federal campaign

It’s the third day of the federal election campaign and two of the major party leaders are making their way to Hamilton.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and NDP leader Jagmeet Singh will be speaking to local voters this evening after making promises today that they say will make life more affordable for Canadians.

Liberal leader Mark Carney made a campaign stop out east this morning. If elected, Carney said his government will procure more submarines and icebreakers to defend the north, as well as raise the pay of armed forces members.

Carney promised to provide more details and the price tag in a platform his party will release soon.

But much of his attention was turned to his conservative opponent, as Carney slammed Pierre Poilievre’s refusal to obtain security clearance.

The issue is back in the spotlight, after new reports from the Globe and Mail show that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) has learned that India meddled in the 2022 conservative leadership race that Poilievre won.

The report says there’s no indication Poilievre’s team were aware of the alleged efforts though he could have been briefed if he had the necessary security clearance.

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh also chimed in during a Toronto campaign stop talking about protecting tenants.

“If you care about the country, if you care about democracy, you would get the security clearance and find out as much as possible to protect our country. But he chose not to, and the only reason he chose not to is because he wanted to put his party and his partisan interests ahead of the country,” said Singh.

The Conservative leader dismissed the report and his opponents’ calls at a campaign announcement today.

“I’ve already had a security clearance, because I was a cabinet minister, so I’ve already been cleared. What I will not do is commit to the oath of secrecy that the Liberals want to impose on me,” said Poilievre.

Poilievre was in Vaughn this morning, promising his government would take federal sales tax off of homes that cost up to $1.3 million.

“This will mean a savings of up to $65,000 on a new home,” Poilievre said.

READ MORE: Liberals hold six-point lead over Conservatives: Leger poll