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With the longest federal election campaign in our modern history now grinding into motion, despite the electorate’s being mostly still in flip-flop and barbecue mode, Prime Minister Stephen Harper spent his second day on the hustings barnstorming a trio of ridings from Laval, Que., to Kingston, Ont., to Ajax, Ont.

As expected, the PM worked themes of tax cuts, security and leadership, with an announcement in Laval of an expanded tax break for apprenticeships to sweeten the pot.

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More notable than the content of Harper’s speeches was their number – four in two days, counting the one at Rideau Hall Sunday morning – and the energy of their delivery. There have been jitters in Tory circles about the degree of Harper’s desire for a fourth term.

If the weekend’s forays are any indication, the torpor in July was a feint. In the opening rounds Harper has looked and sounded relaxed, forceful and confident.