>>The niqab issue also helped the Liberals 

The relentless media badgering of Harper is what helped Liberals (and athe drowning of a little boy).

As for the paper ""endorsing" Harper - look at the broad platform that was given to anti-Harper pieces. Hardly an endorsement.

Niqab  is banned in some Muslim countries, and a lot of Muslims (Canadian too) are very vocal in their opposition to it. Don't recall "objective coverage", rather "Harper is a meanie" pieces galore.