Just hours after the campaign began, however, came news of the death of yet another Canadian soldier in Afghanistan. Sgt. Scott Shipway, the 97th soldier to die, was killed by a roadside improvised explosive device that also injured seven other Canadian soldiers.

“We’re offering…a vision that looks forward,” said Layton.

Green Party leader Elizabeth May, who faces the biggest challenge to get an MP elected to Parliament for the first time ever, said many Canadians have “tuned out” of politics. But she said voters face a “critical decision.”