National party leaders are criss-crossing Canada testing their messages with supporters and would-be-supporters. In the two-week period before the House of Commons resumes at the end of January, Stephen Harper, Jack Layton, and Michael Ignatieff are off and running in a national pre-election campaign mode.

The Conservatives are leading in the polls, but without enough popular support to win a majority. Looking to make a significant move upwards in the next weeks, Harper has adopted a two-stage "Here for Canada" strategy to ready his party to win the additional 12 seats he needs for a parliamentary majority.

Globe and Mail and rabble.ca columnist Rick Salutin had his weekly column axed by the former a little over a week ago, as many readers know. What they likely won't know is that the Globe and Mail cut the final paragraph Salutin wrote for that column on the basis that they don't allow farewells. 

Below is a restored version of the column, about Rob Ford, the current frontrunner in Toronto's mayoral race, with a few final words of thanks from Salutin to his readership.

Rob Ford and the loss of hope