O'Toole, Singh narrow down on Quebec in attempt to drive up popularity

Two federal leaders have both decided to prioritize Quebec voters on day 15 of the election campaign.

Conservative leader Erin O'Toole returned to Saint-Hyacinthe, where he held a rally before the election campaign began.

He took the opportunity to present some aspects of his program to help small and medium-sized businesses, including a commitment to "subsidize the salaries of new employees by 25 per cent" for a period of six months. He will also "responsibly" cut employment support programs.

He also pledged to provide loans of up to $200,000 to small and medium-sized businesses. "I believe in Canadian entrepreneurs who want to get their workers back into the workforce. And they will be able to be exempted in part from paying back this loan. The contractors believe in them and I believe in them," he said.

Mr. O'Toole reiterated his intention to apply Bill 101 to federally chartered companies: "It is important to preserve the Quebec identity and nation for the heritage of our country."

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, by contrast, was in Yamachiche, in the Mauricie region, where he held a press conference with one of his few high-profile candidates, Ruth Ellen Brosseau.

He took the opportunity to present the launch of a web platform to help people vote. The platform asks visitors to enter their zip code to find out details related to their constituency, but also their contact information.

Singh explained that the party wants to use this personal information to remind people throughout the process.