Conservative Leader Stephen Harper rolled into the Toronto region on Monday with a sharpened attack on his political rivals, charging that NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair’s ideology and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau’s inexperience would put Canada’s economy and security at risk.

They were the same themes with which he launched his campaign on Sunday, but Harper a day later was stepping up his criticism of the Liberals and New Democrats as he levelled broadsides at the two political rivals trying to block a fourth straight win by the Conservatives.

Canadians face a “stark choice” in the Oct. 19 vote, Harper said during a campaign stop in Ajax Monday evening.

“It’s a choice with profound implications for our economy, for our families, for our security,” he told party loyalists in a 35-minute stump speech at a local golf club. “It’s a choice between risk and stability, between half-baked ideas and proven track record.”

Trudeau, meanwhile, spent the day in Calgary, Harper’s political home turf, attacking the Conservative record on the environment and telling an overflow crowd that the “real risk is sticking with the status quo.”

Harper, in his Ajax speech, painted his nine-year-old Conservative government as a sound economic steward despite the turmoil of falling oil prices and sagging economies elsewhere in the world.

In contrast, the Liberals and New Democrats have made “enormous promises to special interest groups,” which will boost spending and run up deficits, he said.

“Let Thomas Mulcair and Justin Trudeau explain how they are going to conjure tens of billions of dollars of promised out of thin air or more likely out of your bank account.”

In the area of foreign affairs, Harper said his government has made the tough decisions needed to combat Islamic State terrorists, deploying Canadian fighter jets and soldiers to Iraq in a multi-state mission that both the Liberals and New Democrats oppose.

“Those are the decisions you have to be able to make as prime minister,” Harper said. “Our opponents are simple not up to it. The NDP has an ideological aversion to such decisions.”

He also accused the Liberals of “superficial, unserious thinking” on security issues, attacking them for voting in favour of Bill C-51, the government’s anti-terror legislation, while at the same time vowing to rewrite it.

With wife Laureen, son Ben and daughter Rachel sitting in the audience behind him, Harper looked relaxed as he wrapped up the second day of the marathon 78-day campaign.

He arrived to an enthusiastic welcome from supporters chanting “four more years” — everyone present had been vetted by the Conservative party. Harper’s event was invitation-only, as will all his rallies be during this campaign. Visitors without a ticket issued by the Conservative party will be turned away.

Harper was also joined by many Toronto-area candidates, including Joe Oliver, Erin O’Toole and Chris Alexander, the local MP who is hoping to fend off a comeback by Liberal Mark Holland in the Ajax riding.

With close to 50 ridings in Toronto and the surrounding region, this sprawling urban zone is critical for all three leaders’ electoral ambitions. That’s why Greater Toronto residents can expect to see a lot of them in coming weeks, each vying to win over political hearts and minds as they talk up promises on infrastructure cash, immigration, the economy and other local concerns.

The Liberals and New Democrats weren’t the only ones in Harper’s crosshairs Monday. He also took on two premiers, going after Kathleen Wynne in Ontario and Alberta’s Rachel Notley.

On Sunday, Wynne had said that voters should drive Harper out of office for his government’s refusal to help Ontario implement its new pension plan. Pointing out that Ottawa provides services to provincial pension schemes in Quebec and Saskatchewan, she said Harper is showing “blatant disrespect” for Ontario.

Harper fired back Monday, called the proposed Ontario pension plan a tax grab that will imperil jobs.

“Kathleen Wynne is mad that I won’t help her do that … you’re bloody right,” he said. “The Conservative government is not going to help bring in that kind of a tax hike.”

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Earlier in the day, during his first stop of the day in Laval, Que., he took shots at Notley, whose Alberta New Democrats put an end to years of Conservative rule in Harper’s home province with their surprise majority victory in May — a victory that boosted the fortunes of the Mulcair’s federal New Democrats, who have since enjoyed a steady rise in the polls.

Hoping to take the shine off that win, Harper criticized several of Notley’s decisions: to delay a provincial budget until October, to raise corporate income taxes and to replace the province’s flat income tax for individuals with a progressive tax system.

“The new NDP government — they can’t present a budget, but what was the first thing they did? They raised taxes, and that’s a disaster, an absolute disaster,” Harper said.

He did not mention that his own government briefly delayed its budget in the spring because the crash in oil prices had led to unforeseen fiscal gyrations.

Trudeau, campaigning in Calgary, was critical of Harper’s attack on Notley, saying it was evidence of his inability to work with others.

“Whether it’s the new premier of Alberta, whether it’s the premier of Ontario or whether it’s the president of the United States, he’s not putting Canada ahead of his ideology,” he said.

Trudeau spent his second day of the election in Calgary, a sign of the Liberals’ high hopes that they may finally crack the federal Tory stranglehold in the province.

He said Harper had undermined the Conservatives’ goal of helping build up the energy sector by not balancing the need for industrial growth with the need to tackle climate change.

“With friends like Stephen Harper, the Alberta economy doesn’t need enemies,” he told a room full of cheering supporters.

“Not a single major pipeline has been built, we are further than ever from a sensible policy to reduce carbon pollution and the oilsands have become the scapegoat for climate change on the international stage,” Trudeau said.

Canadians, he said, need a better environmental policy, including a price on carbon, to ensure that other countries concerned about climate change will accept exports of our petroleum.

Mulcair had no public events scheduled Monday, spending the day instead preparing for Thursday’s leaders debate.

With files from The Canadian Press

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