Some First Nations issues have finally been getting some play in the past couple of days in the election, after the early reiterations of positions by the parties with regards to things like the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the issue of missing and murdered Aboriginal women. While Trudeau and Mulcair in recent days made repeated promises around closing funding gaps with First Nations, particularly around education, Trudeau this week made a pledge around the boil-water advisories on some 93 First Nations reserves, and said that he wants those eliminated within five years (though that number could be larger as the federal list doesn’t include BC). The question that Kady O’Malley asked, quite reasonably, is how big of a hole that puts in Trudeau’s other spending promises around infrastructure spending, as previous estimates have pegged water and wastewater systems needed on 571 First Nations around $1.2 billion. What could be more concerning to Trudeau and company is this conversation that Maclean’s had with an expert in this particular field, who said that dealing with this problem in five years is unrealistic given that the reasons for the advisories on so many communities is varied and that there can’t be a simple top-down fix for the issue. It is a complex problem that involves more than one level of government, and while the promise may be laudable, it may be necessary to temper expectations (albeit, as openly and transparently as possible) while still pushing ahead on the file, fixing as many as possible in five years but noting that eliminating the problem may take longer.

On the campaign:

• Stephen Harper promised more benefits for new parents, largely similar to what the Liberals have promised.
• Thomas Mulcair outlined his promises for First Nations, and got a bit emotional in the process.
• Justin Trudeau reiterated his plan for middle class families.

Good reads:

• Mark Kennedy had a couple of sit-down interviews with Justin Trudeau, starting with his channelling his father on minority rights, and middle class families.
• Hillary Clinton expressed scepticism about the TPP, to which the NDP immediately latched onto as proof of their position, never mind that Donald Trump said the same thing.
• Public service experts are baffled by Harper saying he’d look at the issue of niqabs in the public service as they are not aware of anyone wearing one currently.
• The reason the Jean-François Party got all annoyed at paper candidates the other day was because Elizabeth May’s daughter is one of said candidates in Quebec.
• The NDP have released their defence policy, calling for stable funding and a return to peacekeeping operations, along with more help for personnel and veterans.
• The long election campaign has been a boon for ethnocultural media.
• Ashley Csanady writes about the impact of Supply Management on local and gourmand agriculture.
• Scott Gilmore castigates us for being drawn into cynical distractions from the real issues in the election.
• Paul Wells writes about some post-electoral minority scenarios.

Odds and ends:

Our CF-18s have only made four airstrikes in Syria since March.

Senator Lilian Eva Dyck has asked the RCMP to release their data on the culpability of Aboriginal men when it comes to violence against Aboriginal women.

A Conservative candidate told an Edmonton law professor to renounce his dual citizenship if he’s concerned about C-24. An NDP candidate criticised her party’s balanced budget pledge, while another apologized for former anti-gay views.