Tom Mulcair visits Dartmouth amid close Liberal-NDP race

New DemocratLeader Tom Mulcair held a rally in Dartmouth, N.S., on Wednesday to shore up support for the area'sNDP incumbent, who is in a tight race with aLiberal challenger.

Mulcairalsoreiterated his case for decriminalizing marijuana and his opposition to a major trade deal.

• Riding profile: Dartmouth-Cole Harbour

• Mulcair says NDP government would move to legalize marijuana

The riding ofDartmouth-Cole Harbour riding went to the NDP's Robert Chisholm in 2011. He edged past the incumbent Liberal Mike Savage.

Savage left federal politics to become mayor of the Halifax Regional Municipality, and this time theLiberals are putting forwardformer municipalcouncillor Darren Fisher.

The Conservative candidate is Jason Cole and the Greens are running Brynn Nheiley.

Mulcair vowed to replace the politics "fear and division" with those of "hope and optimism."He noted some of the other Halifax-area NDP candidates in the room.

"You've watched Peter Stoffer standing there and fighting for the veterans. You've watched Megan [Leslie] stand there and fight for the environment. You've watched Robert day in, day out, stand there on key issues like fishing here in Atlantic Canada," he said.

A partisan crowd of about 200 cheered as he pledged to oppose the Conservative-backed Trans-Pacific Partnership. He said the deal would increase the cost of prescription drugs.

"Mr. Harper and Mr. Trudeau are prepared to increase drug costs for every senior. I'm working to make drugs more affordable for every Canadian," he said.

He also vowed to decriminalize marijuana. Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau says his party is in favour of legalizing marijuana.Conservative Leader Stephen Harper says decriminalizing and legalizing marijuana would pose dangers.