The Governor General has dissolved Parliament at Prime Minister Stephen Harper's request. Canadians will go to the polls on October 14 to vote in a Federal election.

All eyes are on Ottawa this morning as Prime Minister Stephen Harper paid a visit to Rideau Hall to ask Governor General Michaelle Jean to dissolve Canada's 39th Parliament.

The move set in motion an election campaign that will put us at the polls on October 14 -- the day after Thanksgiving.

Harper's motorcade left 24 Sussex Drive at 8.05 a.m. and he met with Jean a short time later.

Harper pulled the plug on his minority Conservative government, saying Parliament is "dysfunctional" in a press conference in Ottawa.

Controversy swirling around this call, as Harper is ignoring his owned fixed-election-date law-legislation. It is Canada's fifth general election in 11 years, and the third in just over four years dating back to June 2004. Harper says the choice is clear.

He says an election is needed because the economy is in difficulty and that his government has delivered on its promises to cut taxes and provide strong economic management.

The government has taken steps to get tough on crime and set out a balanced and achievable plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions, Harper says.

The Conservatives go into the campaign having managed the longest, uninterrupted parliamentary minority in federal history. It was also numerically the weakest with the opposition Liberals, New Democrats and Bloc Quebecois holding almost 60 per cent of the 308 seats in the Commons.

All four national party leaders hit the road when the writ dropped. After leaving Rideau Hall, Harper will head to Quebec City and then Vancouver.

Liberal Leader Stephane Dion spoke to reporters shortly after the election-call.  He is critical of the Harper government's economic record, and says it's time for something new.

Dion will start in Ottawa before heading for Montreal. He will stop in Toronto followed by Saint John and New Brunswick before finishing up on the west coast in B.C.

NDP boss Jack Layton, with the Parliament buildings as a backdrop, made a few jaws drop when he gave his speech initally all in french for nearly seven minutes. Then switching to English Layton called Stephen Harper out.

Layton will make his opening campaign statement across the river from Ottawa in Gatineau. Green party leader Elizabeth May plans to attend a rally in Guelph.

Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe took shots at Harper for being too closely tied to U.S. president George Bush and his policies, and for catering to oil interests.  He says he's the only one who can stop a Harper majority.

A pre-election poll by Ekos, a market research group, indicates to a strong lead for the Conservatives with 37 percent support across the country. The Liberals are second with 24 percent, the NDP come in at 19 percent and the Green party has 10 percent.

The Tories also lead when it comes to who would make the best prime minister. Stephen Harper gets the nod from 32 percent of decided voters, followed by Jack Layton at 19 and Stephane Dion at 12.

With files from The Canadian Press.