Government would have to be defeated on March 22 budget to get the electoral ball rolling
Speculation about a possible spring election is coalescing around May 2 or 9 as the probable dates Canadians could get called to the polls. The timeline is premised on Finance Minister Jim Flaherty delivering a federal budget March 22, and confidence vote on that budget taking place on March 24. The opposition parties would then, of course, have to vote down the Conservative budget, and force the dissolution of the government before launching an election campaign. Should everything happen according to the above plan, the current Conservative minority government will have lasted 2.5 years in power.