Conservative Party leader Stephen Harper emerged from Rideau Hall, Governor General David Johnston’s residence in Ottawa, Sunday morning, August 2 to announce that he had asked that Parliament be dissolved for a general election October 19, 2015.
It was not completely unexpected and followed about $4 billion in spending announcements last week from Conservative MPs for their ridings.
Harper was asked why the election was being called so far in advance of the already fixed election date, a move which increases the cost of the election for taxpayers, he told reporters that from what he has seen up to then with the other political parties, the election campaign had already began.
The campaign for Canada’s 42nd election stands at 11 weeks or 78 days, one of the country’s longest campaign period. Only the country’s first two election campaigns were longer at 87 days in 1867 and 96 days in 1872 and that was largely due to the fact that voting took place over a period of several months.
A traditional five-week campaign costs taxpayers $375 million to run. Parties are reimbursed for half the money they spend throughout the period. Each party is allowed to spend $25 million for a typical 37-day election period. For each additional day that limit is increased by an extra $675,000 or 1/37th. The 11-week campaign will allow parties to double the amount they are able to spend.
