Federal election called for Oct. 14

By Tina Comeau

THE VANGUARD

NovaNewsNow.com

Canada’s federal politicians will all be hoping to have something to be thankful for the day after Thanksgiving.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has pulled the plug on Canada’s minority government. Harper met with Governor General Michaelle Jean Sunday and asked her to dissolve Canada's 39th Parliament. Voters will head to the polls on Tuesday, Oct. 14.

In the West Nova riding, incumbent Robert Thibault is re-offering for the Liberals. Thibault was first elected to the House of Commons in November 2000 and re-elected in 2004 and 2006. He retained his seat in the last federal election by 511 votes.

The candidate who gave Thibault a run for his money in the last election is one of his opponents in this election. Former provincial politician Greg Kerr will again aim to capture the riding for the Conservative party.

Running for the NDP party is Bear River resident George Barron, who has worked as a paramedic and has been heavily involved in the union movement.

As of Friday the Green Party, who had Matt Granger running for it in the last election, had not yet selected a candidate for the riding. Granger isn’t running this time.

The federal Conservatives were elected to a minority government in 2006, following nearly 13 years of a federal Liberal government. Heading into this election the Conservatives had 127 of Parliament’s 308 seats. The Liberals have 95, the Bloc Quebecois 48, the NDP has 30 seats and the Green Party has one sit, although that MP has yet to formally sit in the house.

To win a majority government, the ruling Conservatives would have to pick up an additional 28 seats on top of what it has now.

In the days leading up to the election call, the prime minister was quoted as saying parliament could no longer function in a minority situation. Early in his government Harper had enacted a fix election date law that had called for the next election to be in October 2009. But Harper has suggested that law only applies to governments in a majority situation.

The federal election is one of two elections happening in a one-week span for Nova Scotia voters. Saturday, Oct. 18 is the date of the municipal and school board elections.