Canada Votes - Your View

Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion moved to locate the party firmly in the middle between the Conservatives and the New Democrats during a weekend campaign event. Addressing a Liberal women's meeting in Toronto, he said the Conservatives do not understand that the role of the government is to help people, while the New Democrats do not understand that the role of the private sector is to create jobs and wealth. How do you define the role of government?

Candidates hoping to win your vote are fanning across Canada's 308 federal ridings, knocking on doors, visiting coffee shops and handing out flyers. Have you received a visit or phone call from any candidates? Which party is the most active in your area?

NDP Leader Jack Layton and Liberal Leader Stephane Dion have both pledged to cancel Conservative cuts to arts funding if they are elected. The Conservatives insist the money is being reallocated to other arts and cultural programs.

Opposition parties have lambasted the Conservatives over Canada's beleaguered manufacturing sector, which has suffered massive job losses while the country's economic growth has dwindled to one of the lowest rates among G8 nations. But Prime Minister Stephen Harper has struck back at his opponents' spending proposals ahead of the Oct. 14 federal election, saying they are risky and unaffordable.

The war in Afghanistan, Canada-U.S. relations, our role in NATO and the United Nations haven’t made headlines so far in this election campaign. What role should foreign policy issues play as Canadians prepare to select their next government?

With the first week of the election campaign under their belts, party leaders are hitting the roads, skies and rails to deliver their messages. What do you want the second week of the campaign to deliver?