National News

OTTAWA — One of the few female candidates to run under the Conservative banner in Quebec says women are “absolutely not” underrepresented within her party.

REGINA — The Conservatives are promising to boost the ranks of Canada’s special forces over the next seven years, adding $75 million to the defence budget by the time the expansion is complete.

By Steve Lambert THE CANADIAN PRESS WINNIPEG — A New Democrat candidate in Winnipeg has dropped out of the federal election campaign — the latest in a string of political hopefuls done in by social media comments.

By Jim Bronskill THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA — Elizabeth May repeatedly scolded Conservative Leader Stephen Harper in the French-language debate on Thursday — blaming him for a “decade of destruction” — as she touted the Green party’s vision for a more

By Donald McKenzie THE CANADIAN PRESS MONTREAL — Gilles Duceppe’s political future and that of his Bloc Quebecois rest on persuading voters to forsake the NDP come election day so it was no surprise the sovereigntist leader’s sharpest attacks in Thur

By Andy Blatchford THE CANADIAN PRESS MONTREAL — Tom Mulcair, the political leader with the most to lose in Quebec, found himself beating back attacks on multiple fronts Thursday during a chippy and heated French-language debate in Montreal.

Giuseppe Valiante THE CANADIAN PRESS MONTREAL — The first French-language leaders’ debate gave a somewhat subdued Justin Trudeau a platform to sharply defend his stand on one of the most divisive and emotional issues of the federal election: the niqa

OTTAWA — A look at key developments Thursday on the campaign trail as the party leaders mostly laid low in anticipation of the first French-language debate of the campaign, taking place in Montreal: Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau held a photo-op with

MONTREAL — Stephen Harper will be working hard Thursday night to appeal to voters in Quebec, where the NDP’s orange wave washed away half of the Conservatives’ seats in the last election.

OTTAWA — Here are five reasons for Canadians to watch for tonight’s French language debate, the third of five such showdowns before the Oct. 19 federal election. The debate will be broadcast in French by Radio-Canada and live streamed online at ici.