harper-e1430476800579(With files from The Canadian Press)  Prime Minister Harper has asked the Governor General to dissolve Parliament, officially kicking off an extended campaign that will culminate in an October 19th federal election.  Harper kicked off the Conservative campaign at a rally in Montreal today, while Liberal leader Justin Trudeau was in Vancouver for the Pride Parade.

In a Conservative overhaul of election laws last year, a campain beyond 37 days will now allow a party to spend more than double the previous limit of $25 million, and candidates can now double their previous spending limit of $100,000.  This is believed to greatly benefit the Tories, who have a much larger war chest than the Liberals and the NDP.  The Conservative strategy thus far has been to use attack ads to drive home the point that Trudeau “just isn’t ready”.

Should Harper win a minority government in this election, the 2 opposition parties will come under pressure to form a coalition, and snatch power from him.  Should he win another majority, they’ll come under pressure to merge outright and stop splitting the progressive vote.