In another sign that a fall federal election is all but a certainty, Gov.-Gen. Michaelle Jean has cancelled plans to attend the Paralympics in Beijing.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper needs to meet with Jean in order to call an election, and the announcement fuels speculation he will drop the writ next week ahead of three byelections scheduled for Sept. 8.
Just a few days ago, Jean's office issued a statement saying she would attend the Games. But, late Tuesday, the PMO announced Ontario Lt. Gov. David Onley will attend the Sept. 5-10 event in her place.
CTV's Graham Richardson said talk among senior Conservative officials is beginning to shift from whether there will be an election, to what the campaign will be about.
Richardson said Harper is "clearly heading towards an election" and is expected to ask Jean to dissolve Parliament sometime between Sept. 2nd and Sept. 7th.
"People around the prime minister are now talking about shifting away from the speculation and talk of if and when, and they're now talking about what the issues should be. They believe economic stewardship in difficult times (will be a key issue)," Richardson told CTV's Canada AM from Inuvik, N.W.T. where he is travelling with the prime minister.
"They've already started to signal that change. So we don't even have to say anymore expect an election call, it's definitely coming."
In another strong signal he is ramping up for election season, Harper made an argument Tuesday for pre-empting his own fixed-election law and dissolving Parliament.
He said the fixed election law only applies to majority governments. The next election is scheduled for Oct. 19, 2009, according to the law his government passed.
Liberal foreign affairs critic Bob Rae said it's clear an election is on the horizon.
"You don't need to be a rocket scientist to read these tea leaves," Rae told Canada AM from the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colo.
"I think the prime minister's intentions are painfully obvious despite the fact he was the one who introduced the bill that said we'd have a fixed election date, so stranger and stranger, but yes...I'm sure the party is ready and we all have work to do."
No surprise
Harper told reporters on Tuesday in Ottawa that some opposition parties have been saying for months they want an election, so a possible vote should come as no surprise.
Harper also said that the Liberal's "green shift" plan is "diametrically opposed to everything this government stands for" and has made it impossible for the Conservatives to work with them on economic matters.
"I think you really have increasingly in Parliament two different visions of where we should be leading the country, particularly during challenging economic times, and that's something I'm going to have to reflect upon," he said.
"It's not a question of wanting to go to an election, it's the reality," Harper said.
However, after first making a $100-million spending announcement to map the Arctic seabed, Harper said he hasn't made a decision yet.
Harper also complained that Liberal Leader Stephane Dion and Bloc Quebecois' Gilles Duceppe won't meet with him before Sept. 9 -- the day after three federal byelections that the Tories are expected to lose.
Dion strongly denied this, saying the first he heard of it was through the media.
Dion said that he had previously offered to meet with Harper on Tuesday but was told that the meeting could not happen.
He said that Harper is looking to save face by looking for an "emergency" to call an election before the Conservatives' fixed election date of October 2009.
"He wants to go to an election before Canadians see he is ill-prepared to face the difficulties of the economy," Dion told reporters in Toronto.
Arctic sovereignty and economic stewardship are expected to be key planks in the Conservatives' election campaign.
