Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces federal election, outside Rideau Hall in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, August 15, 2021. (REUTERS/Blair Gable) OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday called a snap early election for Sept. 20, saying he needed a new mandate to ensure voters approved of […]
Canada’s Trudeau Calls Snap Election for September 20
OTTAWA (Reuters) –
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday called a snap early election for Sept. 20,
saying he needed a new mandate to ensure voters approved of his Liberal government’s plan to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trudeau, 49, is betting that high vaccination rates against the virus – about 64% of the country’s population is fully
vaccinated – and a post-pandemic economic rebound will help him prolong and strengthen his grip on power.
“The decisions your government makes right now will define the future your kids and grandkids will grow up in,” Trudeau told reporters. “So in this pivotal, consequential moment, who wouldn’t want a say?”
Trudeau spoke after visiting Governor General Mary Simon, the representative of head of state Queen Elizabeth, to formally request the dissolution of Parliament.
Polls suggest the Liberals will win their third consecutive election but may not regain a majority in the 338-seat House of Commons. Trudeau currently has only a minority of seats, leaving him reliant on other parties to govern.
Nationally, Liberals would win 35% of the vote, compared with 30% for the Conservatives and 19% for the left-leaning New Democrats, a Leger Marketing poll showed on Aug. 12.
The Liberals spent heavily on subsidies to businesses and individuals to limit the damage from COVID-19, sending both the national debt and budget deficits to record highs.
The right-of-center Conservatives, the Liberals’ biggest rivals, say spending will increase if Trudeau wins again, leaving generations of Canadians hobbled by debt.
With a parliamentary majority, Trudeau would have a free hand to follow through on his stated policy priorities of fighting climate change and supporting those who suffered most during the pandemic.
Nanos Research pollster Nik Nanos said the Liberals had no choice but to go to the polls now, noting that the longer they wait, the more risk they face of a fourth wave of the coronavirus.
The Bank of Canada last month painted an optimistic picture of growth heading into the second half of the year.
But the bond market already is signaling that the pace of Canada’s economic growth could slow as Delta variant cases rise in the United States, its largest trading partner, and in some other major export markets.
Trudeau, the son of longtime former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, first won a majority in 2015. But in the 2019 election he came up short of a majority.
