Prime Minister Harper To Meet Governor General Jean To Dissolve Parliament, Liberal's Dion Starts Election Fever In Alberta

Ottawa, Ontario (AHN) - Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will meet with Canadian Governor General Michaëlle Jean on Sunday morning to request the country's ceremonial head of state to dissolve Parliament as he pushes for national elections in October 14.

Bloomberg reported Friday that Harper is seeking another mandate citing political stalemate. The prime minister has been relying on rival parties in the passing of laws as his Conservative Party is 27 seats short of a majority in Parliament.

Surveys reveal that neither Conservatives nor the main opposition Liberals, led by Stephane Dion, have enough of the numbers to win a majority.

A Nanos poll in August said Conservatives have support of 33 percent of voters and 35 percent for the Liberals. The poll has a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points. Polls by Harris-Decima and Ipsos Reid show almost the same results.

In 2006, Harper won 36 percent of the vote. If he wins this fall's elections, it will be Canada's third minority government in a row, according to Bloomberg.

In Edmonton, Alberta, Dion has started election fever with his pronouncement on Friday at the University of Alberta that Harper is breaking the law if he pushes for an election.

He said that Harper himself introduced a fixed-date law, which schedules the next election for October 2009.

"He gives a bad example to Canadians by not respecting his own law. Some constitutional experts are saying this election will be illegal. I am not sure he is a lawbreaker," Dion told students, according to Canwest News Service.

CNS reported that Dion's appearance at the Edmonton university was already an actual campaign launch, complete with eight Liberal candidates for Edmonton.