Conservative Leader and Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper waves as he disembarks his campaign plane with his wife Laureen in Comox, British Columbia April 23, 2011. )Chris Wattie/ The Canadian Press
A Vancouver-area pastor prayed for a "wall of protection" to be erected around Stephen Harper Sunday - but it's not certain whether this will be enough to protect him from an NDP surge in the polls.
"I pray Lord that you raise up a wall of protection for Mr. Harper and Mrs. Harper - Laureen - and their family," the Burnaby Alliance Church's Reverend Tim Tze said Sunday.
"Protection from evil actions, protection from evil people, protection from evil intentions as well."
During a brief campaign stop in the Vancouver area Sunday, Mr. Harper visited the Burnaby Alliance Church. It's attended by many Canadians of Chinese descent and is near a riding the Tories are trying to capture in the May 2 election.
Conservative candidate Paul Forseth is trying to wrest back Burnaby-New Westminster from the NDP.
Recent polling suggests the NDP poses a bigger threat for the Tories in the final week of the campaign after gaining support to put the left-leaning party in a statistical tie with the Liberals.
The Tories and the NDP vie directly for some seats in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and parts of Ontario, among other places.
Steven Chase