The next federal election is set for Oct. 19, and depending on what Prime Minister Stephen Harper tells the Governor General on Sunday, the campaign could start as early as Monday.
Which is fine for NDP candidate Bob D’Eith, nominated in May, and seeking to take the riding, now called Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge, from the Conservatives.
“We’re working hard. We’ve got the campaign up and running. I look forward to finally getting a Conservative candidate to campaign against.”
He expects the Conservatives will have a candidate, either Mike Murray or Marc Dalton, chosen by mid-August.
Murray is executive-assistant for current MP Randy Kamp, who isn’t seeking re-election after winning four elections, the first in 2004.
Dalton is MLA for Maple Ridge-Mission, sitting in the legislature as an independent rather than Liberal, while he pursues the Conservative nomination.
“If he drops the writ that early and keeps the date at Oct. 19, it will be the longest election campaign in Canadian history. It’ll be 11 weeks, which is unheard of,” D’Eith said.
After a certain period in a campaign, parties can spend more money.
“I’ve been campaigning since I became the candidate,” D’Eith said. “I see that as definitely as an advantage.”
Dalton points out the federal election in 2006 was a longer campaign, 106 days. “I’ve got strong support from Maple Ridge … so we’ll see how it turns out.”