By Randall Palmer and Allison Lampert
OTTAWA/MONTREAL, July 30 (Reuters) - Speculation mounted on
Thursday that Canada's election campaign would formally begin on
Sunday, with the governing Conservatives planning a Montreal
rally with Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Sunday evening.
While the Oct. 19 date of this year's general election is
fixed, the campaign does not start officially until the prime
minister gives the word. By law, Harper must do so by Sept 13,
but Conservative sources said this week that he would likely opt
to start early, possibly the first week of
August. ID:nL1N1080Y3
If Harper makes the move on Sunday, Aug. 2, it would create
the longest election campaign in modern Canadian history,
surpassed only by the first two, in 1867 and 1872.
An early call would partly reflect the fact that unofficial
campaigning has already begun and would also likely benefit the
Conservatives since they have more cash to spend on the election
than the opposition parties.
The formalities of starting an election campaign in Canada
involve Harper going to see Governor General David Johnston, the
representative of Canada's head of state, Queen Elizabeth, to
have Parliament dissolved and the campaign begin.
Two Conservative sources, speaking on condition of
anonymity, said Harper is scheduled to speak at a rally on
Sunday night in Mount Royal, an electoral district in Montreal
where the Conservatives have a shot at picking up a seat from
the Liberals.
The Conservatives have been in power since 2006 and are
running slightly behind or neck and neck with the left-of-center
New Democratic Party in opinion polls, with Justin Trudeau's
Liberal Party in third place.
(Editing by Peter Galloway)