Conservative Leader Stephen Harper energized his supporters in Edmonton Thursday during a campaign stop in the capital region.
The pep rally was Harper's first visit to Edmonton since the campaign began. Harper's joins the likes of Liberal Leader Stephane Dion and NDP Leader Jack Layton who already visited Edmonton since the election was called.
When he first arrived, the Tory leader was greeted by a handful of Greenpeace activists who protested the oilsands and the Tory's policy on climate change.
Earlier in the day, Harper announced his party's plans to restrict text message charges and crack down on overcharging for home heating and gas pump tampering, as part of new measures to protect consumers.
The announcement appeared to be a two-pronged attempt to ease Canadians' financial jitters through targeting both economic crime and unfair business practices, in one sweep.
During a campaign stop in Victoria, B.C., Thursday, Harper reiterated the stance he has maintained since the campaign began -- that the Conservatives are the only party fit to navigate the waters of global economic uncertainty.
He said the Conservatives, if re-elected, would make it easier to investigate and prosecute economic crimes, raise penalties for deceptive marketing, and crack down on cartels and price fixing.
The measures to restrict text message charges come after wireless communications companies announced their intention to charge customers for incoming text messages earlier this year.
"A re-elected Conservative government would prevent telecommunications companies for charging fees for unsolicited text messages," Harper said.
They would also create a code of conduct for wireless service providers and provide a mechanism for consumers to file complaints.
The Conservatives would also crack down on Internet spam, he said.
