OTTAWA -- NDP leader Tom Mulcair heads west today, taking his campaign to Saskatchewan where his party has deep roots.
The New Democrats' first leader was former Saskatchewan premier Tommy Douglas, and historically the NDP has been a potent force in the province both federally and provincially.
But they were shut out there in the 2011 election, and are now determined to get back on the province's electoral map.
They see opportunities in some changed riding boundaries which have eliminated seats that had a mix of urban and rural areas, considered a hindrance to NDP candidates in the province.
Mulcair will campaign today in an area of Saskatoon that has been a bastion for the New Democrats provincially, having been represented by former Saskatchewan premiers Roy Romanow and Lorne Calvert.
He'll be announcing measures aimed at ending violence against women.
Later he moves on to British Columbia for a rally in a redrawn Penticton riding that includes a large chunk of the West Kootenay and Boundary regions that were part of a riding the New Democrats have won in the last three elections.
Stephen Harper, meantime, will start his day with a Conservative campaign event in Ottawa.
Liberal leader Justin Trudeau has no public events today, while Green Party leader Elizabeth May will be in Halifax for a rally this evening that is touted as kicking off her party's national tour.
