Official: Canada elections to be set for October

TORONTO

Friday, 29 August 2008 23:31:40

By ROB GILLIES - Associated Press Writer

Canada's prime minister will likely schedule an election in October to try to shore up his minority government, a senior official in his office said Friday.

The official said Stephen Harper is most likely dissolve Parliament sometime next week with Oct. 14 being the most likely date for an election. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because no final decision has been made.

The campaign would start as soon as Harper dissolves the parliament.

Harper's Conservatives have a tenuous hold on power, and all three opposition parties have said or suggested they will try to bring his government down with a "no confidence" vote soon.

Quebec-based Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe emerged from a meeting with Harper on Friday saying that Harper is intent on setting an election date before Parliament resumes on Sept. 15.

"He absolutely wants to call an election," Duceppe said. "He wants an election. Period."

Harper has requested talks with the leaders of Parliament's three opposition parties, claiming he is seeking the green light for his minority government's fall legislative agenda.

But given the acrimonious political climate in Ottawa, the meetings appear certain to present Harper with the pretext for calling an immediate election.

Analysts say he has a better shot of winning sooner than later when the Canadian economy might be worse off.

Harper's Conservatives unseated the opposition Liberals in 2006 after nearly 13 years in power, but as a minority government his government has been forced to rely on opposition lawmakers to pass legislation.