After weeks of speculation, it looks likely that Canadians will go to the polls in May.

All three opposition parties - the Liberals, the NDP and the Bloc Quebecois - are planning to vote against the federal budget which was tabled Tuesday in Ottawa by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty. Defeat of the Conservative government will likely occur this week, either over the budget or a non-confidence motion planned by the Liberals on Friday.

In Kootenay-Columbia, two parties are officially geared up and ready to contest the election.

"Certainly the word now is that we're heading to the polls," said NDP candidate Mark Shmigelsky of Invermere. "I thought that was going to happen, given the contempt charges in Parliament against the Harper government. To me, regardless of what was in the budget, that makes it almost a moral responsibility to go (to the polls)."

Shmigelsky described Tuesday's budget as half-measures in terms of "helping seniors and helping families, while (Harper) has given billions away to corporations and continues to do so.

"So it's time to go to the public, and see what they think."

The government's fate was all but sealed by NDP Leader Jack Layton, who joined the Liberals and Bloc Quebecois on Tuesday in announcing his party's intention to vote against the budget.

""The last I heard, Jack Layton was going to sit on the budget, but after this meeting with the Prime Minister, he saw what was in the details," Shmigelsky said.

Newly nominated Conservative candidate David Wilks of Sparwood was busy Tuesday afternoon and unavailable for comment by the Townsman's deadline. But Shmigelsky is looking forward to tangling with his old RDEK colleague on the campaign trail. He says the two served together on the Regional District of East Kootenay board of directors for six years.

"I like Dave, and I know him quite well, and look forward to debating him on the issues," Shmigelsky said. "I think he has a big monkey on his back with what's been going on the past few months with the Conservatives. So it will all come out in the wash.

"But overall I get along with Dave, and I'm sure we'll have some fun on the campaign trail."

Meanwhile, the long-awaited day for retiring Member of Parliament Jim Abbott is fast approaching. Abbott praised Flaherty's budget, and said it would be a great asset to Wilks during the campaign.

"I feel really great for my successor Dave Wilks going into this campaign with this kind of budget, a clear blueprint," Abbott said. "It's something that's going to be so widely accepted and so popular with the people of Kootenay-Columbia, it's going to be a tremendous tool."

"I think Dave is going to do a fantastic job for us. It was a choice of the constituency organization, and I think he comes out of the very strong democratic process that we went through. I think he's going to have tremendous support, and he certainly comes with tremendous credentials."

Abbott held Kootenay-Columbia for 17 years, as a Reform Party member and Conservative. He plans on campaigning for Wilks.

"We have always conducted our campaigns with the following adage: 'If you don't believe you can be beat you deserve to be," Abbott said. "We do not take one solitary vote in Kootenay-Columbia for granted. We have to earn every vote. Dave is going to have to go out and earn the respect of everyone."

The end is in sight for Abbott's long career as elected representative.

"I am going to miss it, that is a fact. The privilege that a person has an elected Member of Parliament, of being able to be at the centre of where policies are made decisions are made that affect people's lives, being able to use that to meet people outside of Canada and represent Canada. It's just been a phenomenal 17 years that I wouldn't have missed for anything."