Although anticipation of a fall election has been heating up for the past week, local candidates hoping to unseat incumbent Conservative MP David Sweet have effectively been campaigning for more than a year.

Canada's top four parties appear poised for a snap election call in Ancaster, Dundas, Flamborough and Westdale.

Locally, the Liberals, Conservatives, New Democrats and Green Party all have candidates in waiting, if Prime Minister Stephen Harper calls a federal election, as expected, early next week.

Local candidates include Arlene Macfarlane-Vanderbeek (Liberal), David Sweet (Conservative), Gordon Guyatt (NDP) and Peter Ormond (Green).

In a public statement on Tuesday, Mr. Harper suggested he will dissolve Parliament before three federal byelections are held Sept. 8. He also argued the current, fixed date for the next election of Oct. 19, 2009, does not apply to a minority government.

Local opposition candidates are already gearing up for the possibility of a fall election.

In an August 16 blog entry, NDP candidate Gordon Guyatt takes aim at the Conservative's commitment to social services and a perceived lack of government transparency. Mr. Guyatt, 53, is a well-known physician recognized for his work in the theory of evidence-based medicine.

Mr.Guyatt calls Mr. Harper "a libertarian-oriented individual" with "a philosophy of individual responsibility, and a belief in market forces to create a healthy society."

Earlier this year Mr. Guyatt said he's confident he will increase his vote total in the next election because he believes the political landscape has changed dramatically in favour of the NDP.

Liberal candidate Arlene MacFarlane-Vanderbeek outlines her party's controversial Green Shift plan on her personal Web site. Ms. MacFarlane-Vanderbeek is currently the executive assistant to Dundas city councillor Russ Powers. She won the party nomination in April, 2007.

"We have to do something dramatic -- something to assure ourselves that we are doing our part," she states.

Ms. MacFarlane-Vanderbeek argues Liberal leader Stphane Dion "has taken a bold and courageous step" with the plan that aims to cut income taxes while putting a price on pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and waste.

Conservatives have dismissed the Green Shift as a permanent, new tax that will increase Canadians' cost of living.

Conservative incumbent David Sweet is expected to defend his seat in the Legislature, but has not made a formal announcement.

Green Party candidate Peter Ormond is a member or past member of various organizations, including the Conserver Society, Hamilton Naturalists Club, Environment Hamilton, BARC, Earth Day, Positive Power, Arts Hamilton, Hamilton Chamber of Commerce and the United Way. He is a mechanical engineer by trade.

The Greens are also offering a plan that would see Canadians pay a steep price for carbon pollution, including gasoline, while offering offsetting income tax reductions.

Mr. Ormond was the Green Party candidate in Hamilton Centre during the October 2007 provincial election and received 9.6 per cent of the popular vote.