Canada election 2015: How the parties are running their campaigns

Since the election campaign was launched just over a week ago,Conservative Leader Stephen Harper has unveiledfour campaign policies (five, if you include his iffyno-tax Netflixannouncement), while the other leaders have been largely platform silent.

The contrast is an illustrationof howtheparties have each embraced adifferent strategy in launching their respectivecampaignsthe Conservatives with an early, aggressive press totryto set theagenda, and the Liberals and NDP, so far, focussedmore on their respective leaders.

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"I think the Liberals and the NDParestill feeling their way through in terms of a long campaign writ," saysToronto-based political strategistMarcel Wieder, the head of Aurora Strategy Group. "The Conservatives hadthe advantageof knowing how long the campaignis to plan out the execution oftheir campaign. And that's what you'reseeing as a result."

Harper is certainlysetting the pace, both in terms of campaigning and spending so far.Exactly one week into the election, the Conservatives took to the skies on a campaign plane, showing off their financial advantage over the NDP and Liberals who are still travelling by bus or commercial air.

The Conservatives have also been following a regular daily formula andstrategy that has stood them well in past elections.A typical Harper campaignday starts with an early morning announcement and questions from the media, a photo op in the afternoon and then a rally with candidates and party faithful in the evening.

Although the Conservatives'announcements so far may not be grandin scope home renovation and apprentice tax credits, banned travel to extremist-controlledzones (still to be defined), money forpersecuted religious minorities the message they are trying to convey is quite clear.

"They're going hard, playing to their base," Wieder says. "They want to reinforce the two strategic messages of managing the economy and Canadian safety. And so they're tryingto define what this election is about."

"Now the question is: Isanyone paying attention to it?"

However, political scientistTom Flanagan, a former Conservative campaign manager, said he believed Harper's policy announcements were actually directed to swing voters who have to be added to the base homeowners and certain immigrant groups.

Looking for reaction

That the other leaders reactand generallycondemn these Harper announcementsis likely seen as a bonus bythe Tories, who are hoping that these criticisms don't play well with the voters they are courting.

But John Crean, national managing partner at National Public Relations, also notes that this strategy may be in part due totheConservativesfeeling vulnerable on the pure politics of personality and image.

They want to "get away from the comparisons of Harper vs Trudeau vs Mulcair, and focus the narrative more on specific policy issues," he says.

It's certainly a different approach from Liberal Leader Justin TrudeauandNDP Leader Tom Mulcairwho have yet to announce much in the way of platform content from the campaign trail. Though both parties have laid out their main planks in advance of the writ, with Mulcair testing his $15 daycare and $15 minimum wage in the weeks leading up to the election call.

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Trudeauhas launched his campaign by hitting places the party hopes to see electoral growth: B.C., Calgary, inand around Toronto, and now Montreal. So far, he's been putting the focus on rallies and introducing candidates.

"They want to roll out on more of a marathon approach, slowsteadypace, introducing theleader [first] and thepolicies at theappropriate time," Wieder says.

In fact, theLiberalcampaign seems determined not to let Harper exhaust its resources early on, and hasn't rolled out a campaign plane or even a bus for media to accompanyTrudeauon his tour.

Thatsaid, at each and every single news conferenceTrudeauhas made a point of saying that he's happy to do "what his opponents won't do" and take plenty of questions from the media.

As for Mulcair,his campaign began with a bit ofa shaky start. He seemed nervous at the launchandwas criticizedfor not taking anymedia questions.

NDP strategist Shay Purdyagreedthat last may have been a misstep. However, he saidthatMulcairhad planned to take questions, but Harper's electionannouncement ranlateand Mulcair had to rush off to attend the funeral of former PC cabinet minister Flora MacDonald.

"I think he was a little nervous, people said he looked kind of tense, and I think there was a lot of nervous energy there," Purdy said.

Still, Purdy argues thatMulcair has beenable to get out and deliver his message. And now the campaign seems focussedon getting Canadians to know Mulcair.(One of the top trendingGooglequestions on debate night was:Who is Thomas Mulcair?)

To help answer that question, Mulcair, will spend part of his timepromoting the release of hisautobiographyStrength of Conviction, a launchset months before the electionbut coming, fortuitously, at the outset of this extended campaign.

"The strategy for the summer was going to be to spend some ofthis time in the month of August doing his book tour," Purdy said.
"It will have the effect of when people start hearing these stories they'll connect more with Tom,Ithink."

Thevast majority of Canadians alsodon't really know who Trudeau is either, except by way of his father,Wieder says.

"Sofor both ofthoseleaders, they need to be out there,meeting with Canadiansandshowingwho they are. The policy side of thingswill come."