Template:Future election in Canada
Template:Infobox canadian election The 41st Canadian federal election is tentatively scheduled for 15 October, 2012, under the Canada Elections Act, unless the 40th Canadian Parliament is dissolved earlier by the Governor General. Voters will choose members of the Canadian House of Commons for the 41st Canadian Parliament.

The 40th Canadian federal election resulted in a minority government, which rarely last longer than two years in Canada, a notable exception being the Conservative minority coming out of the 39th Canadian federal election, which lasted nearly three years and became the longest standing minority parliament in Canadian history. But it is likely that the next election will be called earlier than the scheduled date in 2012, as the instability in the 40th Parliament has been heightened and exacerbated by the 2008/2009 Canadian parliamentary dispute.

The following is a list of ridings which were narrowly lost by the indicated party in the 2008 election. Listed is the name of the riding, followed by the party which was victorious (in parentheses) and the margin, in terms of percentage of the vote, by which the party lost.

These ridings are likely to be targeted by the specified party because the party lost them by a very slim margin in the 40th Canadian federal election.

Up to 15 are shown, with a maximum margin of victory of 15%.

* Indicates incumbent not running again. To clarify further; this is a list of federal election winners with their party in parentheses, and their margin as a percentage of the vote over the party whose list the seat is on (not the same as the margin of victory if the party potentially "targeting" the seat in that list did not finish second in the previous election).

The following Cabinet ministers were elected by a margin of less than 10% in 2008:

• Gail Shea, Fisheries and Oceans: 0.3% over Liberal in Egmont, PE
• Denis Lebel, Minister of State (Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec): 3.9% over Bloc in Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
• Gary Lunn, Natural Resources: 4.7% over Liberal in Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
• Leona Aglukkaq, Health: 5.4% over Liberal in Nunavut, NU
• Diane Finley, Human Resources and Skills Development: 8.48% over Liberal in Haldimand—Norfolk, ON
• Lawrence Cannon, Foreign Affairs: 8.5% over Liberal in Pontiac, QC
• Peter Kent, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (Americas): 9.58% over Liberal in Thornhill, ON

• Trendlines Research Monthly chart tracking of average of recognized Riding Projection models