Media Continue Negative Coverage of Harper: Analysis in Macleans Mag
  Just because the Conservatives are paranoid about reporters doesn’t mean the media isn’t out to get them. An analysis of newspaper coverage in the opening days of this campaign concludes Stephen Harper received the most negative coverage of the four main party leaders, even more negative than the coverage he got in the disastrous final week of the 2004 election. Initial coverage of Paul Martin was not only less negative, it was more positive than the waning days of the last campaign, when the Prime Minister rebounded to pull out his narrow victory
http://www.macleans.ca/culture/media/article.jsp?content=20051213_117742_117742

Tories Failing to Make Gains in Ontario, B.C. - National Post
  Three main parties virtually tied in Ontario, poll finds. The Tories’ hopes of gaining ground in British Columbia and Ontario—where the Jan. 23 election is likely to be decided—have yet to be rewarded, according to a new public opinion poll. While Conservative leader Stephen Harper has found support in the belt of suburban ridings surrounding Toronto, he is still struggling in the city itself, the poll shows. And the Tory leader’s standing in British Columbia is so precarious that he placed third when voters were asked which leader seemed best suited to dealing with the major issues facing the country. NDP leader Jack Layton came first. According to pollster Ipsos Reid, Paul Martin and the Liberals are in a virtual three-way tie with the Conservatives and the NDP in Ontario.
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=d516f0a0-f822-42da-92ef-4c084cccddb0

Poll: Health care, not corruption top election issue - Ottawa Citizen
  Lack of dominant issue makes vote hard to predict, experts say Canadian voters have not latched onto a central burning issue for the election—making the race unpredictable and the outcome could yet hinge on dozens of hard-fought local battles. These are the main findings of a major poll by Ipsos-Reid on what’s on the minds of Canadians in the opening days of the campaign. The nationwide survey, conducted for CanWest News Service and Global National, reveals that health care (29 per cent) and political corruption (12 per cent) top the list of issues that voters believe are most important.
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=f4ed5e1f-12a4-41c3-b55a-2dd8f8a3a0e2