MONTREAL—Justin Trudeau wound up in a slanging match with Doug Ford after the Liberal leader slammed Stephen Harper for tying the Conservative bandwagon to the Ford brothers in the final week of the election.

“Stephen Harper should be embarrassed that he’s having to count on the support of Rob Ford,” Trudeau said. “The Ford brothers should have no place on a national campaign stage, much less hosting a prime minister at an event this weekend. That is just completely irresponsible.”

Former mayor Rob Ford and his brother, Doug, the former city councilor, have been making political waves in Toronto in the last days of the closely-fought campaign. They have promised to turn out “Ford Nation,” the moniker given their political backers, in force for a rally on Harper’s behalf on Saturday night.

Speaking to reporters in Montreal, Trudeau suggested it’s the height of hypocrisy for a party with staunch anti-drug policies like the Conservatives to be involved with an admitted drug user like the former mayor.

“What bothers me most is the misogyny,” Trudeau added. He was referring to his general perception that the Fords look down on women, a senior Liberal explained later.

Doug Ford blasted Trudeau in response.

“He’s totally incompetent to be prime minister,” he said on CTV. “He was a drama teacher for a year and he’s going to be prime minister? You have to be kidding me.”

If the Liberal leader took his resumé into any company in the world, Ford said, “Justin Trudeau wouldn’t even be the floor sweeper, not to mention prime minister.”

Doug Ford suggested Trudeau, who has said he smoked marijuana, was being hypocritical to question Harper’s relationship with Rob Ford. “I find it very hypocritical that Justin Trudeau would go down that avenue.”

The Fords were in the front row when Harper held a campaign event in Toronto earlier this week.

Harper, who a day earlier described the support of the Fords as “long-standing and well-known,” was asked Thursday whether he is comfortable associating his party with someone like Rob Ford, who admitted he smoked crack and abused alcohol while in office.

“I think you should put those questions obviously to those individuals,” Harper said.

The Conservative leader also downplayed the idea that the Fords are hosting the Saturday night rally for Harper.

“The rally that you have reported and talked about is a rally of the Conservative Party of Canada. We are bringing together all Canadians who want to fight for an agenda of low taxes and balanced budgets to keep our party and our country moving forward,” Harper told reporters during a Quebec campaign stop.

Trudeau campaigned in the Montreal area Thursday, and will mount a campaign blitz in the GTO Friday. He is expected to be in Mississauga, Brampton, Richmond Hill and Markham.

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With files from Joanna Smith

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