P.E.I. candidates prepare for federal election

Federal candidates in Prince Edward Island are picking up the pace for an election that they say seems all but official.

"I expect a call later this week," said Sean Casey, the Liberal candidate in Charlottetown.

"I think you'll see election signs in the ground this weekend."

The seat, which is currently held by Liberal MP Shawn Murphy, is one of four federal ridings in P.E.I.

Murphy, who was elected to the House of Commons in 2000 and re-elected in 2004, 2006 and 2008, announced in October that he would not run in the next federal election.

"Not being an incumbent is a hill to climb," Casey told CBC News on Wednesday.

"But representing Stephen Harper, I think, would be a bigger one."

Donna Profit, the Conservative candidate for the riding, said her chances are better without an incumbent running.

"With the incumbent gone, that changes the whole landscape. I have as much a chance as anybody — in fact, I think I have a better chance."

Not all of the four seats in the province have defined races. In Egmont, there is not yet a Liberal candidate to run against Gail Shea, the minister of fisheries and oceans. In Cardigan, there is no Conservative candidate to run against Lawrence MacAulay, the sitting Liberal MP.

In Malpeque, the battle between sitting Liberal MP Wayne Easter and Conservative candidate Tim Ogilvie has been brewing for months.

"You might be tempted to call them safe seats, but you know, safe seats are only safe until they cease being safe," said Ian Dowbiggin, a history professor at the University of Prince Edward Island.

"I think that the stakes right now in this election 2011 are very, very high."

Joe Byrne, the NDP candidate in Charlottetown, said he has a lot of hope in successfully taking on both the Liberals and the Conservatives.

"We've raised more money and had more volunteers come forward in the last month than I've seen in virtually any NDP campaign I've been involved in," he said.