News came out today that the Conservative Prime Minister has asked Governor General Michaëlle Jean to cancel a planned trip to China to attend the Paralympics for which she was scheduled to leave a week from this Fri., Aug. 29.

Pundits are speculating Harper wants her on hand to drop the writ and dissolve parliament, making way for an election.

This jibes with an offhand remark Guergis made at the Alliston Rotary Club's polo fundraiser for Stevenson Memorial Hospital on Saturday in Essa. During a photo shoot, Guergis joked with Simcoe-Grey MPP Jim Wilson that "I am the one campaigning, not you."

If the writ is dropped Sept. 5 Canadians could be headed to the polls as early as Oct. 9, but the speculation is that either Oct. 14 or Oct. 21 are the Conservative government's two preferred dates.

Harpers appears to be striking while the iron is hot as recent polls show him neck-and-neck with the Liberal leader Stéphane Dion. Less formal polls even show that Canadians prefer Harper two to one over Dion for Prime Minister.

The possible call flies in the face of the Tory government's own fixed election date in October  2009.

Harper said Tuesday the law setting fixed election dates does not apply to minority governments. He's also suggested that the general election could come before the three by-elections scheduled for Sept. 8.

In Simcoe-Grey Guergis will be facing Liberal candidate Andrea Matrosovs as well as the NDP's Katy Austin. Peter Ellis remains the Green Party candidate, although former provincial Liberal candidate Steven Fishman "crossed the floor" so to speak recently when he left the liberal fold to join the executive of the Simcoe-Grey Green Party.