Rae shines a light on Coady campaign

Prominent Liberal MP Bob Rae came to St. John's Tuesday to speak with students at Memorial University, and was sure to be seen with local incumbent Siobhan Coady.

Rae is the latest high-profile Liberal to attend a public event with Coady, who snatched St. John's South-Mount Pearl from the Conservatives in the 2008 election. Last month, federal leader Michael Ignatieff came to call.

Rae, who spent the morning speaking with students about green energy and foreign aid, said the government needs to be replaced.

"Ultimately, the test of accountability is the people," Rae said. "It's an election."

Speculation about a spring election has been swirling for weeks in Ottawa with the parties accusing each other of wanting to engineer another vote.

Although Prime Minister Stephen Harper has insisted he does not want an election, Coady said that means nothing.

"They're organizing," she said.

"If you live in St. John's South-Mount Pearl, they are phoning people every single day. So I think the indications from that particular party, the Conservative party, is that they'd like to go."

The Conservatives have not yet nominated a candidate to compete against Coady, but former provincial cabinet minister — and current federal fisheries ambassador — Loyola Sullivan is keen to get it. Conservative sources said party organizers are offering people free federal memberships to help Sullivan win the nomination.

The NDP, which placed second in the riding in 2008, opened nominations Tuesday for the ridings of Avalon and Random-Burin-St. George's, which are represented, respectively, by Liberals Scott Andrews and Judy Foote.