Prime Minister Calls a June 28 Election

Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin took the biggest gamble of his career by calling a June 28 election despite clear signs his Liberals could lose their parliamentary majority after a decade in power. The Liberals have been badly hit by a patronage scandal, and pollsters say the election is shaping up to be the tightest in 25 years. The contest pits the Liberals, who promise to keep a balanced budget while increasing spending on health care, against the new Conservative Party, which favors tax cuts and reducing the role of the central government.