It appears that the Conservative Party cannot keep themselves out of trouble. For a party that came to power on accountability and vowed to be ‘Tough on Crime,’ this party and government has been anything but. A Toronto businessman can be added to the list of Conservatives who have been deemed corrupt. Snover Dhillon is facing a criminal charge for allegedly fraudulent credit and debit card withdrawals – a background that didn’t prevent him from sitting with Harper’s family at last week’s rally.

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff made a compelling case at a town hall in London, Ontario where he explained to a young girl how he would fix the country’s economy without raising taxes. Meanwhile Conservatives are having a more difficult time lying to the public. A 51-year old woman who described herself as a mother interrupted a press conference held by Jim Baird and Lawrence Cannon who were trying to pin their opposition Liberals as tax and spend.

Michael Ignatieff and the Liberal party have a lot to be happy about. His campaign is going well. Tory lies have no effect, and as an added bonus, they have gained 5 points in the polls in the last week – indicating that a Harper majority is out of the question. While it’s still the first week, if the trends continue, the Liberals may have a good shot at forming the next government.

A new Nanos poll that took place from March 15 to 29 for CTV News and the Globe and Mail may show the Conservatives in the lead, but Conservative support is on the decline. Within a week, the Liberals have gained the most support off the backs of the Conservatives and NDP. If this trend continues, this election may be a close one.

The Liberal Party of Canada unveiled its Canadian Learning Passport which promises money for students going to high school, cegep and university. The new program would cost the equivalent of Harper’s G20 summit and give young Canadians the boost that they need to be competitive in the work force. Harper continues with his fear campaign. Layton attacks credit card debt head on.

The third day of campaigning sees a change in tide in opposition tactics, but Stephen Harper plays the coalition like a broken record. Stephen Harper won’t let go of the coalition and risks losing his seats in the Quebec City region. Meanwhile, Michael Ignatieff went grocery shopping and took aim and Conservative tax policy. Jack Layton pleads for strategic voting. Gilles Duceppe vows to make his campaign about Quebec Independence.

It is always good to be prepared in a campaign. As Stephen Harper noted in his campaign sheet back in his Reform days, “most voters are uninformed and apathetic.” The key strategy was to dodge policy debates, ignore external questions and always distract the opposition and keep them on the defensive before they can comment or introduce their campaign and their agenda.

As Stephen Harper continues to try to convince Canadians that Michael Ignatieff has a hidden agenda to for a coalition government, Michael Ignatieff attacked Harper’s “abuse of power” while he was in power. After a series of scandals and a series of actions that proved that the Conservatives don’t respect democracy, the Conservatives were found in contempt and defeated.