Justin Trudeau turns his attention to the journalist vs. journalist showdown in Toronto Centre

For the first time in a long time, the rest of Canada might just care about downtown Toronto. The by-election fight for Bob Rae’s former seat in Toronto Centre is shaping up to be the political spectacle of the autumn, pitting newly minted star candidates Chrystia Freeland (Liberal) and Linda McQuaig (NDP) against each other. Both are well-known journalists, and both have written books about how to bolster the middle class (they have very different takes). And then there’s the fact that pundits are taking the yet un-called by-election as a predictor of the parties’ fates in the next general election. The latest sign of just how much the Liberals are staking on the race: Justin Trudeau today named Freeland to his economic consultation team. The Liberal leader personally exhorted Freeland to run in the first place, and he’s already starting stumping for her. He, at least, is confident she’ll win—or at least knows the value of appearing that way.