Federal election preparations kick into high gear for campaign that could begin as early as Sunday
(The Star Food)

OTTAWA—Federal political parties have kicked their election preparations into high gear for a campaign that could begin as early as Sunday with last-minute scrambles to nominate candidates and get staffing in place.The campaign for the Oct. 21 vote could begin this weekend though Liberal officials were giving few hints as to when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will visit with Gov. Gen. Julie Payette to officially set the election in motion.But New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh isn’t waiting for the official word. The New Democrats will launch their campaign Sunday, with events planned for Ottawa and Toronto.Trudeau was out of sight Friday in private meetings in Ottawa but his opposition rivals were squeezing in what could be the final events before the race formally begins. In a speech to the Montreal Chamber of Commerce, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer acknowledged the looming contest. “We’re perhaps only three days away from the election campaign starting,� he said.In a question-and-answer session after his speech, Scheer was asked about an issue sure to dominate the campaign — whether a Conservative government would support a deferred prosecution agreement for SNC-Lavalin.That’s at the heart of the controversy that has dogged the Liberals since February and prompted the finding by the federal ethics commissioner that Trudeau broke ethics law in trying to pressure then-attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould to give the Quebec engineering giant an agreement to avoid criminal prosecution. “My position is clear. SNC-Lavalin will have an opportunity to present its case but it’s really the courts that will decide their fate. It’s not up to us, politicians, to create a country where politicians can call judges, the public prosecution director, for example to influence a decision in the courts,� Scheer said.The Conservative leader also took aim at Trudeau’s justification that a deferred prosecuti ...