A bit early to be speculating.

A bit early? It is a six week process that if HQ gave the word right now would result in a candidate being nominated until the end of January.

It is very likely that the writ will be dropped in March, leaving about six weeks for pre writ election preparations.

These nominations should have taken place in November.

Who needs nominations? With the Liberal upsurge in the polls, a phenomenon that I for one find incredible, can any of the other parties seriously be thinking of an election any time in the next twelve months?

Gilles Duceppe is in the papers today threatening a non-confidence motion on Afganistan. Can he be serious? Perhaps it's just a show, a bit of theatre in which he is counting on the Liberals to prop up the Tory Govt, giving stated grounds that it's too early to withdraw the troops, and having as their real reason that it's a bit too early for them despite the favourable poll standings.

Surely Duceppe cannot seriously want an election at this time, since if one were called, the NDP wouldn't be the only ones to get hammered. The Bloc and Tories would be pushed aside as well.

DeSouza is the best available Tory candidate and the one with the best chance to upset Keith Martin ...

Budd, even the media when reporting these polls were putting the disclaimer that after the five day infomercial, these polls could not be trusted. Phenomenon? Incredible? No, just the expected course of events.

The opposition parties will not accept the budget and will defeat the Govt in March as it is the one time they can vote "nay" without agreeing with the other opp parties. They can all vote for different reasons.