With a federal election looming, the local New Democratic Party candidate has set up shop and is ready to hit the trail.

Pam Boyde officially opened her headquarters this morning at the corner of Second and Fourth Avenues.

While the former Subaru/Kia dealership building was empty except for a few bright orange signs with Boyde's smiling face on them, the NDP candidate said she's ready to begin the campaign to take back the Yukon riding.

Boyde was slated to make the trip up to Dawson City this afternoon, where she'll attend the annual international gold show.

Opening the new office, Boyde indicated she's confident there will be a celebration there in five weeks.

'This is a campaign we're going to win,' she said.

The tourism operator and one-time aide to former NDP government leader Piers McDonald was fully expecting the federal Liberals to call the election by Sunday.

If, as expected, the election writ is issued Sunday (the day of the week it is traditionally issued on) then Canadians will go to the polls June 28.

However, rumours have abounded that Prime Minister Paul Martin could announce the election date as early as today.

'We had anticipated that the call would be today,' said Boyde.

Sources have indicated Martin would likely announce today that he will visit the Governor General on Sunday to issue the election writ. If the announcement came today, it would be done to inform Canadians before the long Victoria Day weekend.

The Liberal party's federal headquarters in Ottawa today denied there would be an election call today, however.

Regardless of when the election call comes, Boyde is ready to go after the federal Liberal party and its representative, Yukon MP Larry Bagnell.

'Yukoners are telling me there needs to be a change in Ottawa,' she said.

According to Boyde, the Yukoners she's spoken with are fed up with the various federal scandals and Ottawa's handling of health care.

In talking to people, Boyde has found the sponsorship scandal is a major concern. However, that scandal seems to be one of the issues Yukoners have with the Liberals.

'The scandal is sort of the tip of the iceberg,' she said. She doesn't believe the outrage of people about that scandal will completely go away.

Boyde wants to show Yukoners that the NDP, with federal leader Jack Layton, is the only real option if people want to get rid of the Liberals.

'The NDP is the true alternative,' she said.

Boyde said the Conservative party and the Liberals are cut from the same 'cookie cutter', with former Tory prime minister Joe Clark campaigning for the Grits and Martin having close corporate ties.

According to Boyde, the NDP is the progressive party, noting the Conservatives dropped that word from its name.

Boyde said she and her party are in favour of the issues most important to people she's spoken to, including health care, showing respect to first nations and working people, the 'new, green economy', among other issues.

During this campaign, she will be 'making the time' to visit every Yukon community but she won't forget about Whitehorse the home of two-thirds of the voters.

'I'll be here too. I'll be everywhere.'

After going to Dawson this weekend, she will also travel the Silver Trail, including the town she first moved to when she arrived in the Yukon Mayo. After that, she'll stop in Pelly Crossing and Carmacks.

While the NDP, Liberals, Marijuana Party and Christian Heritage Party have their candidates picked for the Yukon, the Conservative party still does not have a standard bearer picked.

Boyde was asked what that party was waiting for to get started.

'Candidate?' she replied.

However, the New Democrat believes the right-wing party will have a good candidate on the ballot.

'I don't know who it's going to be.'

Two people have indicated their interest in running for the Conservatives James Hartle of Watson Lake and Don McKenzie of Whitehorse.

The Yukon president of the federal party, Michael Lauer, said recently that if the election is called soon, those will likely be the only two candidates.

In an interview early this week, Lauer said the party has not set a date for a nomination meeting and that if the election is called this weekend, the vote would likely be held on Sunday, May 30.