Vote set for Oct. 14: Harper expects tight, tough election Federal election day after Thanksgiving is 3rd in just over 4 years
Canadians will head to the polls in a general election on Oct. 14, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Sunday in Ottawa after meeting with the Governor General. Conservative Leader Stephen Harper, in calling for an Oct. 14 federal election, says Canadians will 'choose the way forward.' (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)
Harper made the announcement outside Rideau Hall after his conversation with Michaëlle Jean.
"Her Excellency, the Governor General, has seen fit to dissolve Parliament," he said.
The vote will take place one day after the Thanksgiving holiday. Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion says the Oct. 14 election may be the most 'crucial' campaign in election history. (CBC)
"Between now and Oct. 14, Canadians will choose a government to look out for their interests at a time of global economic trouble," Harper said.
When asked about what the outcome might be, the Conservative leader said, "We believe it is going to be a tough election. We believe it will be a tight election. And, yes, we believe in all likelihood it will be a minority."
Before taking questions, Harper paused briefly to praise Canada as the "best country in the world," and said serving as prime minister has been an honour.
Harper took direct aim at the Liberals, led by Stéphane Dion, and their promotion of large-scale spending and a new carbon tax.
"This tax will pack a cost on to every expenditure every family and every business makes," said Harper who is the MP for Calgary Southwest.
Dion's plan would levy $15.4 billion in new taxes on Canadian industries that produce high carbon emissions. The higher prices for energy that people would face would be offset by broad-based tax cuts, according to the plan.
Dion has countered that his plan is revenue neutral — offset by income-tax cuts.
Leaders react to election call, outline platforms
The Liberal leader said the October vote poses "a stark choice" for the country, and slammed Harper's party for not planning for future generations.
"Stephen Harper has formed the most conservative government in our history," Dion said in the foyer of the House of Commons.
Dion, who represents the Montreal riding of Saint-Laurent-Cartierville, said he would champion a "richer, fairer, greener Canada," and said he does not mind being "the underdog" going into the campaign. NDP Leader Jack Layton, speaking in Gatineau, Que., urged Canadians to bid farewell to Stephen Harper. (CBC)
Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe said it was important to send a large number of Bloc MPs to Ottawa, and said his goal was to prevent Harper from gaining a majority.
"In order to have Quebec respected in Ottawa, we need to have a team that puts Quebec first," Duceppe said in Montreal. He represents the riding of Laurier-Sainte-Marie.
"With the Bloc, Quebec can present a united stand in Ottawa," he said. 'We want Quebec to be the winner."
New Democrat Leader Jack Layton, speaking in Gatineau, Que., with the Parliament Buildings behind him, touted his team of MPs and called for a campaign of hope and optimism. Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe, speaking in Montreal, said the campaign should put Quebec first. (CBC)
"Unlike Stephen Harper, I will be a prime minister who puts you and your family first," he said in English, after a lengthy start to his speech in French.
Layton, whose riding is Toronto-Danforth, urged Canadians to tap into the political "winds of change" in the United States, saying in French that it was time to say "goodbye to George Bush and Stephen Harper."
Green party Leader Elizabeth May, speaking in Guelph, Ont., said her top priority would be the environment.
"We must live on this planet as if we plan to stay," May said, saying the election "makes all the difference in the world."
May, who is a candidate in the Nova Scotia riding of Central Nova, called for "a better world for us and for our children," and said she would continue to challenge the "massive unfairness of excluding me from the leaders debate." Green party Leader Elizabeth May, speaking in Guelph, Ont., urged Canadians to make the environment the election's top priority. (CBC)
May's party has been shut out of the leaders debate, usually held in the last few weeks of a federal leadership campaign, because the Greens have never held a federal seat in Canada.
Just last week, they gained their first-ever member of Parliament when former Liberal MP Blair Wilson, a Vancouver-area Independent, joined the party on Aug. 30.
Harper now heads to Quebec City on Sunday and then to Vancouver. Dion will arrive in Montreal later in the day.
Layton will speak in Calgary later Sunday, while Duceppe will attend events in Montreal. May will remain in Guelph before heading to Ottawa.
Conservatives won minority in 2006
Harper's Conservative party has been in power since Jan. 23, 2006, when it won a minority of seats.
Heading into this election, the Conservatives held 127 seats, while the Liberals had 95. The Bloc Québecois had 48 seats, the New Democratic Party 30, and there were three Independent members of Parliament.
The Green party had one MP and four seats were vacant.
The calling of the Canada-wide vote means the cancellation of four federal byelections.
Three were set for Monday in the ridings of Guelph, Saint-Lambert , and Westmount-Ville-Marie. A fourth was to be held on Sept. 22 in Don Valley West.
After Harper made his announcement, Canada's chief electoral officer, Marc Mayrand, issued a press release confirming that the byelections would not take place.
This will be Canada's fifth general election in 11 years and the third in just over four years, dating back to June 2004.
The Conservatives had set a fixed date of Oct. 19, 2009, for the next vote, but Harper recently suggested he was ready to go sooner, and pulled the plug on his current minority government.
With files from the Canadian Press
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has set October 14 as the date for the 40th Canadian federal election. The Prime Minister met with Governor General Michaëlle Jean at her official residence of Rideau Hall today to request that the 39th Parliament of Canada be dissolved. The Queen's representative agreed to drop the writ and hold the election on Harper's recommended date.

Throughout the duration of Harper's minority parliament, there have been several times where an election call had been predicted, but it managed to survive longer than any true minority government in Canadian history, despite having the smallest relative caucus. Nevertheless, today's announcement has been a near-certainty for the past week, and each party has already begun campaigning and putting up signs. The Conservatives began airing TV advertisements before the official election call was made.

After meeting individually with the leaders of the three other parties represented in the House of Commons, Harper said that he does not have confidence in the ability of the Parliament to continue to work. After each of his meetings at 24 Sussex Drive, opposition leaders emerged saying that Harper was intent on calling an election and had already decided that there could be no common ground with opposition parties. Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe said after his August 29 meeting with the Prime Minister that "instead of making efforts to try finding solutions in the best interest of the population, he wants an election in the best interest of his party". Over the course of this past Parliament, the governing Conservatives rarely found compromises with the other parties, and his small caucus has survived largely because the Liberal Party chose to abstain from crucial bills rather than vote against them.

The move is somewhat unusual. While minority governments rarely last long in Canada a request for the dissolution of Parliament is normally not made until the government is defeated on a motion of confidence by the opposition parties. The move is also unusual because it appears to violate a law passed by Harper himself; Bill C-16 of the first session set fixed election dates for federal elections, reading "each general election must be held on the third Monday of October in the fourth calendar year following polling day for the last general election". Under the law, the next election was not to be held until October 19, 2009; however, the government has stated that the bill was never intended to be used in minority parliaments. Harper argues, however, that the parliament could no longer function and opposition parties intended to defeat the government. With that rationale, Governor General Jean had little choice but to follow her prime minister's advice.

A recent poll conducted by Ipsos Reid for CanWest News Service reported that half of all the 1,003 Canadians surveyed said Harper would make the best Prime Minister, with New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton at 31%, and Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion at 20%. NDP leader Jack Layton is at 38% support for being "sincerely committed to dealing with global warming," with Dion at 30%, and Harper last at 27%. "If this election is going to be a referendum on leadership, Stephen Harper has a heck of an advantage," says Ipsos Reid president Darrell Bricker. He also says Dion has to "to rough up Stephen Harper a bit" if he wants to win the election.

Harper is also at 50% for being the best to lead in tough economic times, 47% for having "what is takes" to lead the country, and 43% for "a vision of Canada that you can support."

The Conservatives currently hold 127 of the 308 seats in the House of Commons, up from 124 at the last election, while the Liberals hold 95 seats, down from 103.  Recent polls show the Conservatives polling at 37% support among voters, just below the 40% usually required to form a majority government.