Campaigning kicks off with promises of change

? Prime Minister Paul Martin kicked off Canada’s election campaign Tuesday with a slim lead in opinion polls after his minority government was toppled in a no-confidence vote in Parliament.

Scheduling the vote for Jan. 23, Martin used his first campaign speech to tout Canada’s strong economy, which has unemployment at a 30-year low and the government running a budget surplus.

“Canada has gone from pauper to powerhouse. Deficits are history – we’ve had eight surpluses in a row now, helping to keep our economy strong,” he said.

Canada’s three opposition parties allied to bring down Martin’s government Monday night, arguing his Liberal Party did not have the moral authority to govern because of a scandal implicating some of its senior members in kickbacks and misuse of federal funds.

The voters’ desire for change is not lost on Stephen Harper, the Conservative leader who used the word 38 times in his first campaign speech. “We need change to make government more honest, more accountable, more democratic,” he said.