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In an evening speech to a Toronto audience on Monday, Mr. Trudeau accused Mr. Harper of deliberately fostering fear and prejudice against Muslims.

He took direct aim at Mr. Harper for using a public appearance last month in Quebec — where religious accommodation is a hot-button issue — to severely criticize those who want to wear the niqab, a religious garment that covers the face, at citizenship ceremonies.

Mr. Trudeau ridiculed as a “cruel joke” Mr. Harper’s explanation that he wants to liberate Muslim women from oppression.

“We all know what is going on here,” said Mr. Trudeau. “It is nothing less than an attempt to play on people’s fears and foster prejudice, directly toward the Muslim faith.”

It’s a high-risk gamble. Politicians don’t make such strong accusations about a sitting prime minister lightly.

Canadians are already tired of hearing their leaders hurl insults at each other. In many cases, they have come to ignore the drumbeat of rhetoric from Parliament Hill.

But this week, say sources close to Mr. Trudeau, the Liberal leader has grown so concerned about a pattern he sees in how the governing Tories are abandoning basic liberties that he decided it was time to call a spade a spade.

He has increasingly become concerned by what he thinks is a deliberate decision by Mr. Harper to sow prejudice against Canada’s one million Muslims.

And so, in a carefully written speech, Mr. Trudeau laid out why he thinks the liberties of Muslims — and of all Canadians — are at risk because of Mr. Harper’s approach.