LINDSAY TSUJI
LIFE REPORTER

HAMILTON, Ont.– Although the Liberals are making concerted efforts to be what Harper’s campaign is not, I got the feeling their moves were as strategic as those of the Tories.

Stephen Harper has been getting flack for limiting media access to his campaign, while Michael Ignatieff has been doing the exact opposite.

It was clear the same feeling was resonating with some of the locals when I first arrived at the Liberal town hall event at Liuna Station banquet hall in Hamilton on April 7.

Standing beside me was a woman holding a sign for her local liberal candidate. Jeanine Foster said this was her very first political event.

“It’s nice to finally see people having a little bit of fun with politics,” Foster said.

I got a taste of all that fun recently at two Grit events – a town hall meeting with Ignatieff in Hamilton and a Liberal fundraising dinner event with Bob Rae in Woodbridge on March 31.

Ignatieff shook hands and made small talk with supporters giving further evidence of his new image being shaped for this campaign.

The venue was a sea of red with over 1,000 supporters who came to show their support.

Ignatieff stood poised and confident at the front of the room with his sleeves rolled up.

The self-proclaimed straight shooter said he was happy to see so many faces in the audience.

“We’re gonna take questions ‘cause that’s how democracy works,” Ignatieff said.

The crowd erupted in applause.

The supporters seemed to have gotten word about Harper’s decision to limit questions from the media to five per day.

The campaign stop in Hamilton was also met by a group from the Steelworkers Local 2600 who were protesting lost jobs in the steel industry.

“Iggy’s got to go!” they yelled.

But there was no mention of any of this at the event.

The Q&A session covered a wide range of issues, including the decision by MPs to hold Harper’s government in contempt of Parliament for withholding information it requested, education, and international relations.