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Saskatoon

Liberal and NDP leaders visit Saskatoon ahead of federal election

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WATCH: The leaders of both the Liberal Party and the NDP held rallies in Saskatoon Wednesday as the 37-day election campaign is into the second half.

With 14 seats in the upcoming federal election up for grabs in Saskatchewan, the Conservative party currently holds all of them.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh were in Saskatoon Wednesday to try and sway voters their way.

During his address though, Carney was interrupted on more than one occasion.

“That was misguided,” said Carney to a pair of protesters shouting about becoming the51st state. “You’ve made your point, you’ve made your point,” he said to another group.

While most of his address focused on the economy and tariffs, Carney made commitments to voters if his party is elected.

“We are going to double the rate of homebuilding in this country, so that all the young people here can actually afford a home,” he said. “We are going to build Canada as an energy superpower in oil and gas to displace the imports eastern Canada takes from, you guessed it, America,” added Carney. “We are going to build new partnerships with reliable trade partners. People who keep their word.”

Liberal Leader Mark Carney (Chad Hills/CTV News)

Running for the Liberal party in the Desnethe- Missinippi- Churchill River riding is Buckley Belanger, who says his party leader will stand up to Trump.

“I always tell folks, they want to have a Poilievre who’s a weaker leader than Carney, somebody that they can easily manipulate,” said Belanger. “But Carney is a tough, intellectual person. He knows what he’s doing, and that’s why I’m willing to follow him.”

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was in Saskatoon Wednesday night as well as Thursday.

He spoke to reporters alongside local candidates like Melissa McGillivray who’s running in the Saskatoon-University riding.

“We are the party that’s going to make sure no one gets left behind,” she said. “I chose to put my name forward to run as a candidate because I’m tired of seeing people fall through the cracks. I think we have big issues to deal with like tariffs, trade, international identity, all those pieces.”

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh (Chad Hills/CTV News)

While polls suggest the NDP are trailing behind on the prairies compared to the rest of Canada, Singh says his party offers an alternative to both the Conservatives and Liberals who he says will cut services for Canadians amid a trade war with the United States.

“We’re talking about increasing revenue,” said Singh, who was repeatedly dodged questions whether his party would balance the budget.

“We’re looking at closing offshore tax havens and loopholes for big, highly profitable corporations make massive profits and don’t pay their fair share. And we’re going to defend the things that people need, defend your healthcare, defend your pensions, and protect Canadians.”

The federal election will be held on April 28.