By Paul Vieira
OTTAWA--Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper ordered the
country's Parliament to be dissolved, kicking off an extended
election campaign in which the Conservative leader will vie for a
fourth term amid a deteriorating economy.
The move, announced Sunday, doesn't alter the timing of Canada's
scheduled Oct. 19 elections, but it lengthens the official campaign
season to 11 weeks--more than double that of recent Canadian races.
The longer period plays to the Conservative Party's strengths
because it has a far bigger war chest to tap than its two main
political rivals.
The 56-year-old Mr. Harper, who has served as prime minister
since January 2006, is the second-longest serving leader within the
Group of Seven major industrialized countries. But his re-election
bid comes as Canada's economy has stalled amid steep declines in
the price of oil, its top export. His party also faces a serious
election threat emerges from the left-leaning New Democratic Party,
which currently leads in the polls.
Mr. Harper has tied his electoral success since coming to power
in January 2006 to a narrative that his party is best suited to
steer the economy. Canada emerged relatively unscathed from the
2008-2009 global financial crisis and voters rewarded Mr. Harper
with a majority mandate in parliament in the last national election
in May 2011, when his party attracted 40% of the popular vote.
The Canadian leader faces more difficult economic conditions
this time around. The Canadian economy posted negative growth in
each of the first five months of 2015 as lower prices for oil and
other commodities sideswiped trade and business investment, pushing
the Canadian dollar sharply lower and, according to some
economists, putting the country on track for a recession in the
first half of the year.
Mr. Harper's pro-trade agenda suffered a blow in recent days
when officials from Canada and 11 other countries negotiating a
major Pacific trade agreement failed to clinch a deal at a meeting
in Hawaii. Mr. Harper has said the so-called Trans-Pacific
Partnership was crucial for Canada's economy.
The prime minister said Sunday that management of the economy
was his party's priority, and stressed his experience in dealing
with the economy and national security as a crucial advantage over
his rivals. He said a lengthy campaign was needed so Canadians
could explore the options and make a "serious choice."
"This is an election about leadership on the big issues that
affect us all," Mr. Harper said. "It is an election about who will
protect our economy in a period of ongoing global instability and
secure Canada's prosperity. And it's about who is best equipped to
make the tough calls to keep our country safe."
The Conservatives' financial edge may help it counter voter
fatigue among its traditional supporters, given the party has been
in power for more than nine years. Since 2012, Mr. Harper's
Conservatives have raised 69 million Canadian dollars (US$52.8
million), or nearly as much as their two main rivals combined,
according to data from Elections Canada.
The opposition NDP enjoys 34% support among Canadians, a modest
lead over the Conservatives' 30%, according to a recent poll from
Ottawa-based Ekos Research. That firm and others have also released
survey results indicating up to two-thirds of Canadians believe it
is time of a change in government in Ottawa.
The left-leaning NDP has never been in power at the federal
level, although it has governed at the provincial level, most
notably winning the recent provincial election in resource-rich
Alberta. The national party is led by Thomas Mulcair, a lawyer and
former environment minister in the province of Quebec.
Mr. Mulcair said Sunday that his campaign would be focused on
providing support to Canadians struggling under stagnant wage gains
and increasing levels of debt, through policies such as affordable
day care.
Mr. Mulcair also said he would take measures to support Canadian
manufacturers, which are struggling to sell goods abroad even amid
a weaker currency and a pickup in U.S. demand, and attract new
factory investments into Canada.
The Liberal Party of Canada is in third place in the polls, in
the mid-20% range. In Vancouver, British Columbia, party leader
Justin Trudeau said his party offered the best hope for the middle
class. He has proposed a tax hike on wealthier Canadians to pay for
programs and tax breaks aimed at mid-income households.
"The Conservatives think you grow the economy by making wealthy
people wealthier. We know you grow the economy by strengthening the
middle class and those who wish to join it," he said.
Some analysts say that for Mr. Harper to win, he must count on
the coalition of voters that brought him a majority in 2011--which
included voters in western Canada, suburbanites in the Toronto
region and immigrants.
Still, Mr. Harper "is in the hunt, and doing a lot better than
you would have thought, given the inventory of gloom and
disapproval he faces," said Frank Graves, president of Ekos.
Darrell Bricker, president of polling firm Ipsos Canada, said
this election was shaping up as the most difficult to predict in
decades. The electorate appears volatile, he said, and his firm's
research indicates households from most income classes are consumed
with issues related to cost-of-living issues, such as higher
grocery and utility bills.
"There's a big preoccupation about making ends meet," he
said.
Write to Paul Vieira at paul.vieira@wsj.com