Battling for Hamilton, Liberal and NDP leaders stop for photo ops in final days

It's a common election-time scene in Hamilton: a crowd of about 250 people waiting outside the United Steelworkers Unionhall on Barton Street East, waiting for the leader of the NDP.

"Jagmeet[Singh] wants to meet all of you," a volunteer says, ordering people to flank the orange tape that fans out from the mic. The more people crowd in, the better it is for the cameras.

Singh gets off the bus, has the crowd jump to "Differentology" by Bunji Garlin, then poses with every supporter who wants a selfie.

"Hamilton time and time again proves that they're with us in this fight," he tweets later.

Five days earlier, Justin Trudeau tried to drum up similar energy at Soccer World in west Hamilton as he and five local Liberal candidates fluttered a parachute with kids there.

"I'm very, very excited about the amazing candidates we have," Trudeau said.

"I've actually heard from people in the street, even just this morning leaving the hotel, how our candidates are out there knocking on doors, having direct conversations with people about the future we want to build for Hamiltonians."

Hamilton always attracts Liberal and NDP attention in the home stretch of a federal election, and the days leading up to Sept. 20 are no different.

Singh and Trudeau have both visited Steeltown at least twice during the short 36-day election cycle. When asked, both say they have a better shot than the other of winning Hamilton's five ridings Hamilton East-Stoney Creek, Hamilton Mountain, Hamilton Centre, Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas and Flamborough-Glanbrook.

"Hamilton is a community that really reflects our values," Singh said in a phone interview after his Hamilton visit Wednesday. "They're hard-working people, middle-class folks, and we care deeply about the concerns that workers have.

"We know that workers feel the economy is rigged. They go to work, earn their salary and pay their fair share, and see that billionaires don't pay their fair share. They're frustrated about that."

Trudeau answered a question about Hamilton at Soccer World, taking two local questions from the media.

"When you think about the families here in Hamilton that are struggling with child-care costs, that want to build a better future for their kids, that are worried about the health-care system that they rely on as case numbers continue to rise amongst the unvaccinated, I know our candidates are the leaders," he said.

The clamour by the two parties for Hamilton seats is based in history.

The NDP has easily won Hamilton Centre since the riding's creation in 2004. Liberal Filomena Tassi has represented Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundassince 2015, but the riding is NDP provincially. Hamilton Mountain has flipped between the Liberals and NDP for about 40 years, and Hamilton East-Stoney Creek has alternated between the two parties since it was created in 2004. The outlier among Hamilton ridings is Flamborough-Glanbrook, which has been Conservative federally and provincially.

David Christopherson, a now-retired NDP MP who carried Hamilton Centre for years, acknowledges the horse race.

"Historically, the biggest fights have been the Liberals and NDP," he said. "However, the Cons have had the Mountain and they've had the east, but it's predominantly been Liberal and NDP. And certainly that's the fight this time."

Christopherson, who's campaigning for local New Democrats, says the party tends to see magic when its leaders are popular,and support for the party slowly catches up to that.

"I was there twice when it happened, once with BobRae and once with Jack Layton," he said. "And I've seen us go the other way too."

As for the Conservatives, leader Erin O'Toolevisited Hamilton at the end of August. He referenced "Steeltown pride" and Nathan Cirillo, a Hamilton reservist who was gunned downin a deadly Parliament Hill shooting in 2014.

Ned Kuruc, Conservative candidate for Hamilton East-Stoney Creek, said during a Cable 14 debate Wednesday thatO'Tooleseems to appeal to Hamilton moderates.

"In the past, you could take myself, I might have not been a Conservative 20 years ago," Kurucsaid."I consider myself a very progressive centre right Conservative, andI think that's where the climate is going. As we can see, Erin O'Toole has taken the party more centre right. I've found a home in this party under Erin O'Toole and I like the space that the party is in.

"As far as the past, that was the past. I can only speak now. My team has knocked on 20,000 doors. We've been well received."

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