You won’t see this guy’s picture much in this morning’s papers. Every time some journalist writes about a federal Liberal, NDP leader Thomas Mulcair’s eye must twitch. This morning, it’s probable leadership contender Marc Garneau’s turn to find his way into John Ivison’s front-page column in the National Post—a piece that also looks more broadly at how the Liberals, by outflanking the Conservatives on key economic issues, might reawaken a voter base of some kind. Postmedia’s Michael Den Tandt fawns over Justin Trudeau’s decisive support of CNOOC’s $15-billion takeover of energy producer Nexen. The Toronto Star’s Tim Harper says something is happening in Calgary Centre, where a byelection campaign has both the Liberals and the Greens—but not the NDP—challenging the Conservative stranglehold on the riding. Indeed, you have to search pretty deeply to find much mention at all of the Official Opposition in this morning’s papers.

None of this is indicative of any larger electoral shift that will see the Liberals reclaim second place, or even first place, in the House of Commons. Despite what a few polls are saying, Postmedia’s Andrew Coyne reminded us yesterday, the Liberals could well remain the third party for some time.

So why is everyone talking about them so damn much?

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What’s above the fold this morning?

The Globe and Mail leads with an elusive truce between Israeli forces and Hamas militants. The National Post fronts the same storyline. The Toronto Star goes above the fold with $2 million worth of toy theft from Toronto’s Salvation Army. The Ottawa Citizen leads with Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird’s unwavering support of Israel. iPolitics fronts former environment minister Jim Prentice talking about the geopolitical consequences of diversified Canadian oil exports. National Newswatch showcases a CTV News story about an annual $20,000 housing allowance collected by Senator Patrick Brazeau for claiming a principal residence in Maniwaki, Que.—a house neighbours say he rarely visits.

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Stories that will be (mostly) missed

1. Cigarette warnings. The feds are hoping an Ontario court will dismiss a suit filed by a tobacco company that complains mandated advertising violates its freedom of expression.	2. Child benefits. An anti-poverty coalition is calling on the government to clean up its assortment of child tax credits and boost the amount of money poor parents can receive.
3. Pot laws. A majority of Canadians polled recently say current marijuana laws aren’t doing the job. Two-thirds of respondents preferred either legalization or decriminalization.	4. “Provincial” MPs. Ottawa MP David McGuinty, a Liberal, accused a number of Alberta MPs of thinking only of their province’s interests when it comes to oil sands and broader energy issues.

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