ALMA, Que. -- Tom Mulcair took the NDP campaign straight into the backyard of a prominent Tory cabinet minister on Thursday, hoping for a demonstration of his party's resolve in Quebec.
The New Democrats say the newly rejigged riding of Lac St. Jean is up for grabs and Infrastructure Minister Denis Lebel is vulnerable.
Mulcair's opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership could find a receptive audience among the forestry and mine workers in the Saguenay region where unemployment is running almost 1.5 percentage points ahead of the national rate.
He says the TPP is a missed opportunity for the forestry sector and it could have been used as a venue to renew access to the U.S. softwood lumber market.
Outside of their Quebec base, the NDP have been on the defensive late in the campaign, but the thrust into Lebel's territory suggests they remain confident.
