Public safety and the economy will be the issues underlying most discussions on Parliament Hill over the next few months as MPs return today for the last few months of the 41st Parliament.
The latest the election can be triggered is early September, meaning the last sitting of Parliament starts today. Much of what MPs do over the next five months in the House will be focused on the campaign, foreshadowing the parties' messaging before the summer break.
While Parliament has been on break since Dec. 16 when the Senate rose, the federal party leaders have been criss-crossing the country and making plain which topics occupy their thoughts.
Arguably the biggest issue facing MPs is a problem that's worsened since the House rose in December: the stalling economy. Between mid-December and the end of January, the price of oil has dropped another $11, from around $58 to under $47.
Last week, the Bank of Canada cut its benchmark rate for the first time since September 2010, just as it lowered its 2015 growth projection from 2.4% to 2.1%. Most economists had been predicting it would hold the key rate stable until raising it slightly next fall.
NDP Leader Tom Mulcair and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau had already been trying to stake out economic territory by asserting their commitment to fight for middle-class Canadians. Harper and the other Conservative MPs, meanwhile, have placed their political capital on the government's economic management record.
With the federal budget approaching sometime in April, the Conservatives have at least two months to determine whether they'll be able to eliminate the deficit.
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