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Trudeau will then travel to the Toronto area ahead of the first leader’s debate, scheduled for Thursday.

Asked about the possibility of a weekend writ drop during a funding announcement in Calgary on Thursday, Jason Kenney, the Conservatives’ political minister for southern Alberta, said “that remains to be determined.”

Ottawa anted up $583-million for the city’s long-awaited southwest ring road, less than a week after committing $1.53-billion to Calgary’s proposed Green Line rail transit project. But Kenney said Ottawa is funding the Calgary projects based on merit, not electoral considerations.

“This is not a government that believes in pork-barrel politics,” said the defence minister and Calgary Southeast MP.

Also Thursday, Conservative strategist Tim Powers said Harper’s apparent early election call is about ‘‘agenda-setting.’’

“(He’s) trying to use his experience and also trying to use what resources the Conservatives have — which appear to be more than the other guys — to his advantage.”

Former NDP leader Ed Broadbent said he believes Harper’s apparent early-call strategy is more about trying to steer clear of some serious campaign-trail potholes, notably the Mike Duffy trial and the state of Canadian pocketbooks.

“I think … he would think the longer campaign will enable him to get out from under some of the flak that is yet to come, likely on the Duffy trial and also on the downturn of the Canadian economy,” Broadbent said in an interview.