By Steve Scherer and David Ljunggren
HAMILTON, Ontario - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday entered the crucial last stage of his reelection campaign after an inconclusive leaders' debate in which he failed to land many blows on his main rival.
Trudeau, who heads a minority government that depends on the opposition to pass legislation, called the Sept. 20 election, two years early, in an effort to capitalize on his Liberal government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But the 49-year-old leader, who has been in power for six years, has struggled to make a mark on the campaign trail amid voter fatigue and the public's unhappiness with the early election call.
Polls show the Conservatives led by Erin O'Toole, 48, have a slight lead and could win enough seats to form a government. O'Toole, who has had little chance to introduce himself to voters since becoming the leader of the Conservatives last year, says Trudeau is corrupt and will run up unsustainable debts.
Trudeau's government racked up record levels of debt with programs to help dull the economic impact of the pandemic, aid which he said helped the economy recover more quickly.
Statistics Canada said 90,200 jobs were added in August and the unemployment rate fell to 7.1%, the lowest since the onset of the pandemic.
Trudeau and O'Toole, along with the leaders of three smaller parties, took part in a two-hour televised debate Thursday night. The debate can be an important way to attract voters, but its complex format meant leaders often talked over each other and gave Trudeau few chances to score points on O'Toole.
Three senior Liberals with a direct role in running the campaign said the evening had been a disappointment.
"Worst debate ever," one said in a message. The Liberal sources requested anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation.
Frank Graves of the EKOS polling firm dismissed the event as "possibly the most vacuous and tedious debate in Canadian political history."
Trudeau is due to speak to the media at 10:30 a.m. EDT (1430 GMT) in Hamilton, a city near Toronto.
A rolling Nanos Research poll of 1,200 voters on Thursday showed the Conservatives with 33.3% support and the center-left Liberals at 31.3%. The left-leaning New Democrats had 19.2%.