All eyes were on the economy during the fourth week of the federal election campaign, which started with a 420-point drop on the S&P/TSX and ended with the announcement of a $5-billion surplus.

Here are the highlights:

MONDAY

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and NDP Leader Tom Mulcair started the week by promising to spend more money on two big potential voting blocks.

Mulcair $400 million to raise the guaranteed income supplement for low-income seniors.

Trudeau said he would re-establish lifelong pensions for veterans, increase other benefits and re-open shuttered veterans affairs offices -- a promise that could help him in at least

TUESDAY

Just as the Sen. Mike Duffy trial was adjourned until November, a new poll suggested the trial how the majority of Canadians view the Conservatives.

Still, Nanos weekly Stephen Harper鈥檚 party is still in contention, with 30-per-cent support, about the same as the Liberals, and a point higher than the NDP.

Meanwhile, Mulcair said he would balance the budget.

That led Trudeau to frame the election as a choice 鈥渂etween jobs and growth or austerity and cuts,鈥� as he campaigned alongside former finance minister and prime minister .

Harper, who has promised balanced budgets, said prime ministers should 鈥渉ave a long-term plan and

Economist Philip Cross, meanwhile, told CTV Power Play that prime ministers don鈥檛 have that much impact on GDP figures.

鈥淚f the global economy tanks and pulls us down with it, revenue falls so fast you can鈥檛 possibly cut spending fast enough," he said. "You will run a significant deficit no matter what your intentions.鈥�

WEDNESDAY

A suggested most Canadians -- 79 per cent -- agree the country feels like it鈥檚 in recession.

The same poll indicated 51 per cent think a victory by Harper鈥檚 Conservatives would be bad for the economy, compared to 37 per cent who said an NDP win would hurt the economy, and 34 per cent who believe a Liberal win would be bad for the national books.

The poll also found a majority -- 54 per cent -- support 鈥渁 new round of deficit spending by the Government of Canada to stimulate the economy,鈥� while 36 per cent were opposed/somewhat opposed.

That appeared to be good news for Trudeau, who whether the Liberals would run a deficit, adding 鈥渢he economy needs investment.鈥�

Meanwhile, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May predicted Canada would end the year in deficit, 鈥渢hat鈥檚 not necessarily such a terrible thing in a $2-trillion economy.鈥�

May said she would counteract a revenue drop by raising the corporate tax rate to 19 per cent.

And Harper made his big spending promise for the week on Wednesday: $200 million to in rural areas.

THURSDAY

Trudeau confirmed he would run deficits for at least three years in order to spend $125 billion over 10 years projects such as transit, housing and adapting to climate change.

Harper -- who ran seven deficits before balancing the budget this year -- poked fun at Trudeau, saying: 鈥淗e'll run, he says, a modest deficit, a tiny deficit, so small you can hardly see the deficit.鈥�

Mulcair responded to Trudeau鈥檚 plan by saying he was 鈥渢ired of watching governments put that debt on the backs of future generations.鈥�

FRIDAY

The Department of Finance for the second quarter, which Harper said meant his government 鈥渋s well ahead of our projections.鈥�

Paul Martin retorted that Harper is "the king of deficits鈥� and said NDP Leader Tom Mulcair is 鈥渁 student of Stephen Harper's economy."

Mulcair shot back at Martin, calling him "the king of austerity鈥� and pointing out he achieved balance only after cutting health and social transfers, employment insurance and housing spending.

One place Mulcair said he would save money: to help professional sports teams return to Quebec.