To almost nobody’s surprise, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dissolved parliament and called a snap election on Aug. 15, meaning Canada’s voters will head to the polls Sept. 20 to elect a new batch of MPs – and possibly a new governing party in the House of Commons.
Even though a federal election is not legally required to take place for another two years, Trudeau clearly sees an opportunity to expand his current support and upgrade his government from minority to majority status. With the Liberal Party of Canada polling at 35 per cent popularity, according to some polls, the upcoming election certainly reeks of political opportunism on the part of Trudeau. The fact the campaign will last just 36 days – the minimum length allowed by law – seems to cement this sentiment.
Our newsroom is referring to the Sept. 20 vote as a “needless” election. The Liberal Party has survived every confidence vote in the last two years it has been in power, and has been able to pass a budget, throne speech and various laws pertaining to COVID-19 pandemic relief measures, despite its minority status. Yet, they are taking a gamble to see if they can increase their number of sitting MPs.
While we’re sure some people are excited about the upcoming vote, we don’t think the majority of voters are eager for it. And according to a Mainstreet poll, nearly two-thirds of Canadians are on the same page as us.
There are many pressing issues Trudeau and the Liberal Party could be focusing on instead of an election campaign right now – the ongoing wildfires engulfing British Columbia, our country’s response to the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, or the current spike in COVID-19 cases thanks to the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.
Instead, Trudeau – and the other party leaders as well, to be fair – will be touring the country to talk about all the great things they can do if elected to Canada’s top political office.
