Harper government hopes TPP deal is signed before election campaign kickoff

The CBC is reporting that Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will call upon Governor General David Johnston to dissolve parliament either on Sunday or Monday to schedule an election for October 19.

“It will just be a continuation of what we’re doing”.

– In the nine Edmonton-area ridings, the Liberals and Conservatives have nominated eight candidates while the NDP has nominated four.

“So, majority are of the view that they’d better wrap stuff up this week because after that they may simply not be able to get a decision out of Canada”, said Wolfe.

Also, we might see a bit of a Phony War, an interregnum between the official launch of the campaign and the actual outbreak of hostilities.

Elections Canada estimates a 37-day campaign – the minimum required by law – would cost roughly $375 million to administer.

(Think in terms of the National Hockey League salary cap, with the wealthy parties being the Maple Leafs and the poor ones the Arizona Coyotes.) That’s not even calculating Elections Canada’s added expenses: longer leases for returning offices, key staff hired for an extra six weeks, phones, supplies… But I suspect the longer the campaign the more room there is for mistakes.

‘All governments are interested in re-election and all politicians will try to turn an opportunity into something good for them’

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He’d deal with that potential problem by bringing in more people for fewer shifts each week.

Tim Uppal, who represents the Conservatives in Edmonton Mill Woods, said a longer election period would increase his costs for such items as rent.

That means most of the attack ads run during the election will come from rival parties, instead of from those anti-Conservative interest groups.

There’s also talk of a speaking tour similar to the whistlestop train trips leaders once took across the country, although not likely going by rail, he said. “When you go into an election campaign, anything can happen”, he pointed out.

“I don’t speculate, and I particularly don’t speculate on my own actions”, said Harper. Two Conservative sources said Harper would address the rally.

The other oft-mentioned advantage to the Tories of a longer campaign is the fundraising angle: the longer the campaign, the more money the parties are forced to spend. At least in Canada, politics and summer don’t mix.

He’s keeping in shape and eating less meat and more vegetables to stay healthy for the grind ahead.

“This really is a very competitive”, he said. NDP numbers weren’t available.

The Conservatives have built up the biggest war chest, and could outspend their opponents.

Last Sunday, print reporters, columnists and camera crews watched as floor-crossing former Conservative MP Eve Adams attempted to win the Liberal nomination in the Toronto riding of Eglinton-Lawrence.

– The tradition of holding two televised leaders’ debates, the pivotal point of modern election campaigns, will not apply this time.