Earth Equity News

Canada's Prime Minister Calls Early Election. AP, September 7, 2008. Canada's prime minister dissolved Parliament on Sunday and called an early election next month in hopes of strengthening his Conservative minority government's hold on power. Prime Minister Stephen Harper's party needs to win an additional 28 seats to have a majority in Parliament. Although he has played down that possibility, polls in recent days indicate his right wing party has a chance to do so. The Oct. 14 election will be Canada's third ballot in four years. The Conservatives unseated the Liberal Party in 2006 after nearly 13 years in power, but as a minority government the Conservatives have been forced to rely on opposition lawmakers to pass legislation and adopt budgets... Liberal leader Stephane Dion acknowledged his party faced an uphill battle in the election campaign. 'I love it. I love to be the underdog. I love being underestimated,' Dion said. Harper has said he is running on economic issues and stresses his opposition to an energy tax proposed by the Liberals. But Robert Bothwell, director of the international relations program at the University of Toronto argued the move was political. 'Harper is going for a majority government. That's really the only issue,' he said. Observers also say Harper wanted a ballot ahead of the U.S. election. Bothwell said if Democrat Barack Obama surges in the next month in the United States, it will help Canada's opposition Liberal party."