Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Liberal Party leader Stephane Dion courted Canadian voters Monday by offering financial incentives. Harper, leader of the Conservative Party, offered first time homeowners a $5,000 tax credit, while Dion proposed a $900 million fund over four years to help cover the medication cost of Canadians suffering from chronic ailments.

The $5,000 tax credit could be used to settle land transfer taxes, inspection fees, appraisal fees and legal fees which typically adds 1.5 to 4 percent of the final purchase price.

Harper said the aim of the tax credit is to help first time homeowners ease the financial burden and boost the construction industry, while helping create jobs on the side.

In 2007, 300,000 individuals or families purchased homes for the first time. Using this data, the Conservatives estimated the tax credits would cost the federal government $200 million annually for the next four years. Only one household member could claim the $5,000 tax credit.

In Halifax, Dion matched the NDP's health care policy with a proposal to allocate $900 million over four years to help Canadians suffering from chronic diseases or deadly ailments defray the cost of drugs.

"Canadians battling a serious illness should not be forced to sell their house to buy the prescription medications they need," Dion promised the audience at Halifax's Dalhousie University.