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OTTAWA Whos the hardest working federal opposition leader, Tom Mulcair or Justin Trudeau?

The two are engaged in a pre-election skirmish over that question, offering a glimpse of the pitched battle to come between New Democrats and Liberals next year, when each leader will attempt to persuade voters that he is more deserving than the other to replace Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

And its no frivolous question. Its the same one late NDP leader Jack Layton raised to devastating effect during the 2011 election campaign, helping to sink the Liberals and vault his party into official Opposition status for the first time in history.

During the televised English-language debate, Layton pointed out that then Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff had missed 70 per cent of the votes in the House of Commons, the worst record of any MP.

If you want to be prime minister, youd better learn how to be a member of Parliament first, Layton admonished Ignatieff. You know, most Canadians, if they dont show up for work, they dont get a promotion.

Voters evidently agreed. They fired Ignatieff and demoted his party, which was relegated to a third-place rump.

Since Trudeau took the helm a year ago, the Liberals have bounced back into the lead in most opinion polls while Mulcairs NDP has sunk back to its more traditional third-place slot. Trudeau has accomplished that feat primarily by playing to his strength his ability to connect with people, who more often than not, behave in his presence like gushing adolescent groupies meeting a rock star.

Thats meant plenty of travel across the country. And thats opened him up to the same charge of being an absentee MP that finished off Ignatieff.

In an apparent attempt to head off a reprise of that unhappy experience, the Liberal party this week sent out a fundraising email which proclaimed The Real Hard Work (doesnt always happen in Ottawa). It came on the heels of a Quebec television network report revealing that Trudeau has shown up just 41 per cent of the time for question period in the Commons so far this year, slightly ahead of Harper but well behind Mulcairs 66 per cent.

The email boasted that Trudeau has attended 520 events in 105 cities in the 387 days hes been leader of the Liberal party. And hes spent: 141 days on the road in 115 ridings and 35 townhalls.

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NDP, Liberals scrap over Trudeaus absences from House of Commons

Justin Trudeaus policy of open nominations and free votes is proving to be more complicated than it originally appeared.

The Liberal Leader laid out his plan in last years leadership race, but it is eliciting criticism inside and outside the party as it is put in place. In party nominations across the country, it is becoming clear there are exceptions to the open nature of the races, and that not all votes will be free after the next election.

One Liberal, Christine Innes, was blocked from running in a by-election in Trinity-Spadina over alleged bullying tactics by her team. Ms. Innes has filed a defamation lawsuit against party officials. Some past leadership candidates worry they could be shut out over the partys decision to bar anyone who has outstanding debt from leadership races and now would-be candidates have to say that they would vote in favour of abortion rights in Parliament.

Daniel Gagnier, the partys national campaign co-chair, said open nominations do not refer to a process in which anyone has a shot at becoming a Liberal candidate. Rather, he said, it is a break with the era in which leaders appointed candidates in selected ridings.

It means that we dont parachute candidates into ridings, and that all candidates start off from the same point, he said in an interview.

He added that the Liberal Party plans to hold more free votes in the House of Commons, but acknowledged a few exceptions, including items in the party platform, money bills and matters dealing with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Mr. Trudeau announced this week that, based on those principles, would-be candidates must agree to vote in favour of abortion rights if they become MPs. Liberal officials added that candidates would also be expected to follow the Liberal Partys policy in favour of assisted suicide, depending on an upcoming ruling on the matter by the Supreme Court of Canada.

Earlier this year, Mr. Trudeau said the party will not allow past leadership contenders to be candidates in 2015 if they have not yet paid off their debts from those campaigns. The matter prompted an outcry from David Bertschi, a lawyer who ran against Mr. Trudeau in last years leadership race, and wants to be the Liberal candidate in Ottawa-Orlans.

Some Liberals think Mr. Bertschi faces an uphill battle against his main rival, retired lieutenant-general Andrew Leslie, who is a key adviser to Mr. Trudeau on defence and security matters.

Party officials said Mr. Trudeau has given himself the right to have preferences for some candidacies as he builds his team, although all would-be candidates will be playing by the same rules. Mr. Gagnier said Liberal hopefuls should start planning their nomination campaigns immediately.

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Liberals open nominations, free votes are tricky

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