Week 1. Done.

Well, the first week has finished and the national polls are not showing us anything dramatically different. Done and dusted? Not at all.

What I find interesting is that there are actually a number of different conclusions to the first week of elxn41 (did I mention I am growing to love twitter shorthand and hash-tags?). Depending on what you read / who you follow / what you hear, the first week could be summed up as follows:

1. Harper maintains strong lead, growing support in key provinces. A majority is possible.

2. Harper performs poorly in the first week. PM appears on the defensive and not looking like the seasoned campaigner.

3. Liberals out of the gate strongly and making important gains. Ignatieff a clear winner after week one.

4. NDP struggles to get message out after first week.

5. Bloc cruising in Quebec.

If the above were possible answers to a multiple choice question, you could be forgiven for looking for the "all of the above option." Why? Because in many respects, they are all true.

The Conservatives continue to enjoy a healthy advantage, both nationally and in key battlegrounds, particularly in Ontario. This despite Mr. Harper having a poor week in which he has been criticized for (a) his rhetoric and tone (b) his relationship with the media and (c) his lack of engagement on policy.

The Liberals continue to trail nationally and in key provinces, despite the fact that they have had a strong week. They have demonstrated election readiness, an openness to engage and a commitment to presenting themselves as a option.

The NDP did cede ground to the Liberals during the week. There is a danger that any further slide could make this election an explicit Harper-Ignatieff choice among voters.

Finally, the Bloc did what it does. It cruises in Quebec and points to real and imagined imbalances between how the government of the day treats Quebec relative to other provinces. In this case, the issue is the Lower Churchill development in Newfoundland and Labrador.

So, with that in mind what are my conclusions?

First, Mr. Igantieff will be pleased with a dialogue that focuses on a 2-horse race. While it is true a PM would only come from either the Conservative or the Liberal party, the fact that this is being more explicitly framed after only one week is important. If the Liberals are to have any success, they need to attract NDP voters, as well as centre-left Tories.

He will also be pleased with a week that has shown his ability to campaign and to offer a choice. His ability to connect with voters was a big question mark at the start of the campaign - the past week will have done a lot of good for the morale of his team and slate of candidates.

Second, Mr. Harper has spent a lot of time making the notion of minority Parliament something to fear. Interestingly, days 1-4 were more "coalition" focused in terms of his rhetoric. Days 5-7 transitioned (slightly) away from coalition and towards the suggestion that we need to end minority Parliaments.

It's the "let's put an end to unnecessary elections" argument. The fact that nearly 50% of Canadians are not averse to a majority would constitute some traction for this line of messaging. This should be followed closely. If this trend continues, Mr. Harper could move the yardsticks enough in those key swing ridings.

Third, the issues are getting an airing. The Liberals released large elements of a family- and education-focused platform. The Conservatives highlighted their budget and then followed that up with the income-splitting proposal. These are substantive issues, all worthy of discussion. More please.

So, those are some initial thoughts. Tomorrow I will blog about what I will be looking to see in week 2, and as well on the Liberal platform (issues!). In the meantime...

...Thoughts?