Canadian PM asks for dissolving parliament, kicking off election campaign

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced Sunday that he has officially asked Canadian Governor General David Johnston to dissolve the Parliament, kicking off an 11-week campaign ahead of the country's 42nd election slated for Oct. 19.

Harper made the announcement after his meeting with Johnston, ending months of speculation and conjecture about when the campaign would begin. He emphasized the need for a strong hand on the economy and security issues.

"I feel very strongly...that those campaigns need to be conducted under the rules of the law. That the money come from the parties themselves, not from government resources, parliamentary resources or taxpayer resources," Harper said answering a reporter 's question as to why he launched the campaign so far in advance of the fixed election date, which is the longest and most costly in the country's political history.

"In terms of the advantages this party has, in terms of the fact that we're a better financed political party, a better organized political party, and better supported by Canadians -- those advantages exist whether we call this campaign or not," he added.

After the announcement, Canadian opposition leaders blasted Harper's record in office, accusing him of poor economic management and of ignoring the plight of Canada's jobless and middle class Canadians who have seen their incomes become stagnant.

Stretching over 78 days, it will be the longest federal campaign since 1872. Its result will set the country on a course that either solidifies a decade of change under Harper's Conservative party on everything from taxes to foreign policy, or rejects the ideology behind those policies and embraces a more progressive approach promised by Tom Mulcair's New Democrat Party and Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party.

Harper was first elected with a minority in 2006 and then re- elected with another minority in 2008. He secured his goal of a majority government in 2011 and has spent the last four years putting his stamp on the country -- with lower taxes, a tough law- and-order agenda, and a foreign policy which is widely said to follow the steps of Washington.

If Harper wins the election, he will be making history. It would be the first time since Wilfrid Laurier in 1908 that a prime minister won four consecutive elections. With this election, the House of Commons is being increased to 338 seats from 308. That means Harper, or either of his rivals, must win 170 seats to command a majority in the House of Commons.