Canada to hold elections, results of races as unpredictable as ever

OTTAWA - Canada will hold one of its most unpredictable elections ever on Monday, one that could just as easily hand the ruling Conservatives a solid grip on power or leave them so weak they would likely soon lose office.

The right-of-center Conservatives, who have governed Canada since early 2006, started the campaign with a healthy lead and said they needed a majority of seats in the House of Commons to let them focus on the economic recovery and keep taxes low.

Over the last two weeks, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has watched his advantage dwindle in the face of an extraordinarily effective campaign by the left-leaning New Democrats, a pro-labor party that has never held power in Canada.