The Conservative bus is rather subdued, Friday, the day after the first leaders debate. People could be tired after a long night of debate and Kory Teneycke, the Conservative campaign spokesperson, is noticeably absent from the bus. But that hasn't stopped reporters from asking whether Stephen Harper did indeed admit Canada is a recession. In case you missed it, here’s what was said during the Thursday night debate: Tom Mulcair: “You’re trying to deny the fact that for the past five months those same statistics from the Canadian government have shown that for five months in a row the Canadian economy has shrunk. We are one month away from a technical recession, but according to a lot of observers, we’re already in a recession. Stephen Harper: “I’m not denying that, but what I’m saying is that that contraction is almost exclusively in the energy sector.” The Tory spin machine has kicked into high gear as we roll down the highway to the home of a Conservative supporter. Rather than a rally, Harper will stand with an average family in their backyard where he is guaranteed not to meet protesters. Update @ 12:46 p.m.: Teneycke later joined the bus after Harper’s backyard event, but he wasn’t aboard the coach first thing in the morning. Also, I was one of the journalists that had to be ushered to the back of the hotel to board the campaign bus, rather than out the front door we had entered just a few days earlier. This way, perhaps, Harper’s image didn’t mingle with the Harleys and leather jackets out front. Security was tight.
