The star on the road: reports from the top three campaigns with days remaining in a close race

If there is one thing that all party leaders can agree on, it is this: the 2021 federal election campaign has been ugly, brutal and short.

Marked by the rise of a fourth pandemic wave among the unvaccinated, the surprise fall of the Afghan government, anti-vaccine protests and partisan attacks sweeping the airwaves, the final days of this race show Canadians deeply divided.

Polls have Liberals and Conservatives stuck in popular support, but Liberals are ahead in the projected seat count, and the NDP is likely to become a deciding factor in another minority parliament.

The Star looks at the challenge for each party and the mood on the leaders’ tours heading into the crucial final weekend before Election Day.

Alex Boutilier, Stephanie Levitz and Robert Benzie look at a conservative party that some experts say is preparing to lose.

Alex Ballingall reports from the NDP bus on the “central dichotomy” of Jagmeet Singh’s campaign: “a positive stance coupled with sharp criticism from liberals that turns into an attack on Trudeau’s own integrity.”

And I write about the challenges Justin Trudeau anticipated in this campaign, and the ones he didn’t.