Trailing in polls, Canada opposition Liberals attack main rivals

By David Ljunggren
OTTAWA, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Canada's once-popular opposition
Liberals, who are trailing in third place ahead of an Oct 19
election, shifted their fire to the first-place New Democratic
Party on Wednesday as the two centre-left rivals battle to
defeat the ruling Conservatives.
Liberal leader Justin Trudeau said the NDP, which has a
narrow lead in recent opinion polls, was misleading voters with
promises to increase spending while balancing the budget.
The Liberals and NDP are both battling to win over
centre-left voters to defeat Prime Minister Stephen Harper,
whose Conservatives are seeking a rare fourth consecutive term
after nine years in power.
Vote-splitting between the Liberals and NDP helped the
Conservatives win the last election, in 2011.
Battling a perception that his party plans big spending
increases, NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair says it will balance its
first budget.
Trudeau said the NDP's promise would hurt the economy.
"Mr. Mulcair is being entirely disingenuous," he told a news
conference in Newmarket, Ontario. "In the midst of a recession,
Canada doesn't need billions of dollars worth of cuts to the
economy. That hurts Canadians, and it's poor economic policy."
Trudeau favors investments in infrastructure to help bolster
the economy and says a Liberal government would not rush to
balance the budget after what he said was the mess that Harper
had made of the economy.
The Conservatives, who have run seven consecutive budget
deficits, are promising a surplus in the 2015/16 fiscal year.
An Angus Reid online poll released on Wednesday put the NDP
in first place, with 36 percent support among likely voters. The
Conservatives are second with 32 percent, while the once
high-flying Liberals got just 23 percent support.
The survey suggests the NDP would win a weak minority
government, leaving it to rely on support from the Liberals to
pass key legislation. Trudeau has ruled out the idea of a formal
coalition.
Mulcair brushed off Trudeau's attack, telling reporters in
London, Ontario that he would raise taxes on large corporations
and cut some personal tax breaks to help fund his proposals.
Mulcair said that as he listened to the Conservatives and
Liberals both attacking his plans, "I am driven to the
conclusion that we've got the most balanced approach."
The three parties have yet to release detailed policy
platforms.