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The reaction is one of surprise.

“I’m going with either you or the Liberals — we’ve got to get rid of Harper. But that’s interesting. OK. Go get ‘em,” says one young mother, pledging her support.

In the closing days of the 2015 general election campaign, the Conservatives are barely mentioned in

Canada’s biggest city.

For all New Democrats, the only goal is to beat the Liberals — even if it means adopting the Chicago Way. Talk radio stations are rotating ads about how “Justin Trudeau just lost my vote” because he backed the Conservatives’ anti-terror legislation.

In the University-Rosedale riding, where former television journalist Jennifer Hollett is taking on Liberal Chrystia Freeland, a former member of Freeland’s board of directors has been made available to the media by the NDP. Jason Dumelie is canvassing with Hollett and says he doesn’t think Freeland should be an MP.

“She didn’t seem to care about her constituents,” he says, citing a dispute between graduate students and the University of Toronto where he says she was asked to intervene but neglected to.

For her part, Freeland describes Dumelie as “disaffected” and says she is active in the community where she lives, canvassing and attending events.

In Scarborough Southwest, where incumbent New Democrat Dan Harris is facing a tough fight with former Toronto police chief Bill Blair, things are turning nasty.

I mention to Harris that when I walked into Tim Hortons in the riding with Blair, everyone stopped to say hello.