The second-last week of the federal election campaign started off with a debate about the free trade deal, and included the releases of the final party platforms, but those things were mostly overshadowed -- again -- by niqabs and Syrian refugees. Here's a look back at Week 10.
MONDAY
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau released the full version of his platform, which on top of bigger promises already announced, included things like restrictions on marketing unhealthy food, an increase to university student grants and a promise to end boil-water advisories on First Nation reserves.
Trudeau's platform came just as leaders of a dozen countries, including the U.S., Australia and Japan, managed to shake hands on the huge free trade deal known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
Conservative Leader Stephen Harper called the tentative TPP a "tremendous deal."
Trudeau said it needs to be looked at in more detail but that his party is "pro-trade."
Tom Muclair, in contrast, said the NDP will "not be bound by the deal," and sided with an autoworkers union who contend it will cost them jobs.
TUESDAY
Former Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams -- a Progressive Conservative -- urged voters to pick anybody but Conservatives, saying Harper can't be trusted on TPP.
A Conservative Candidate in a suburban Toronto riding got dumped rather quickly after an article on homosexuality re-emerged. Jagdish Grewal later said the article was mistranslated from Punjabi.
WEDNESDAY
The niqab issue reared its head, this time after Harper said he would examine a Quebec bill that would ban the Muslim face veil in the public service.
Trudeau accused Harper of using the niqab to stir up "politics of fear and division," while Mulcair said "(Harper) would rather us to talk about subjects other than the fact that he's been a total failure on First Nations, Inuit, and Metis issues."
Mulcair pledged to meet some of the biggest priorities of the Assembly of First Nations, including lifting the two-per-cent cap on annual federal funding increases, and spending $4.8 billion over eight years for aboriginal education. (The Liberals previously pledged $2.6 billion over four years, while the Conservatives have budgeted $200 million over five years.)
A day after the Conservatives nixed a candidate for his remarks on gays, an NDP candidate found himself apologizing for old views on homosexuality.
THURSDAY
Religion entered the national discussion again -- this time after CTV News reported that the Prime Minister's Office ordered a halt to the processing of UN-referred Syrian refugees in order to make sure certain groups were being prioritized over others.
Harper said that political staff are never involved in approving refugee applications and that the halt was needed for an audit.
Mulcair said Harper should apologize for being "two-faced" in expressing empathy for refugees in August, a time when Canadians were unaware he had ordered the temporary halt.
FRIDAY
Trudeau upped the rhetoric by saying it was "disgusting" that "somewhere in the Prime Minister's Office, staffers were poring through their (the applicants') personal files to try to find out which families would be suitable for a photo op for the prime minister's re-election campaign."
Harper responded by saying "we prioritize the most vulnerable people," including ethnic and religious minorities who are "not exclusively Christian by any means," and reiterated that the decisions are made by "arm's length bureaucrats," not "political people."
As advanced polls opened across the country, the Conservatives released their full platform, which Harper said avoids cuts and "makes investments we can afford," along with lower taxes. New details include $10 million a year to fund summer jobs in the trades for high school students and $100 million for crop science.
The NDP released its platform too, which Mulcair said would build "the Canada of our dreams." It included a few new promises aimed at consumers, like a 50-cent cap ATM fees and a gasoline ombudsman to investigate prices.
With files from The Canadian Press
