Canadian telecom companies can’t catch a break. After having been embroiled in a battle with the nation’s regulator, they are now caught in the middle of the federal elections.

As the campaign heats up, at least two parties have zeroed in on telcos as part of their pledge to save Canadians money. On Sunday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal party pledged to cut wireless services costs by 25 per cent within four years. Earlier this month, the New Democratic Party also indicated that if elected, it would implement price caps on cellphone and internet services that would save families about $10 per month.

“It is possible that the federal election — which will be held on October 21 — might prompt companies to wait until the last minute before filing a formal complaint with the federal authorities, as the telcos are unlikely to want the spotlight on Internet pricing during the election campaign,” Desjardins analyst Maher Yagi said in a report published on Sept. 20, before the Liberals announcement.

Telcos were among the worst performing stocks Monday with Rogers Communications Inc. sliding as much as 1.3 per cent. Telus Corp. fell 1 per cent, while Shaw Communications Inc. dropped 1.1 per cent. The S&P/TSX Communication Services Index is the biggest sector loser today with a 0.6 per cent decline. The benchmark S&P/TSX Composite Index slipped 0.1 per cent.

This comes after federal regulators announced a decision in August to reduce wholesale broadband prices that telcos charge to third party internet providers in a bid to boost competition. Telcos including Rogers, Shaw, Cogeco and Quebecor’s Videotron said they expected a charge of anywhere from $10 million to $140 million they will have to take to their balance sheets:

Earlier this month, six of the largest Canadian telcos appealed to a federal court to suspend CRTC’s order made in August.

--With assistance from Michael Bellusci

BNN Bloomberg is a division of Bell Media, which is owned by BCE.