Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, has called a snap election. Trudeau announced on Sunday that he was calling for an earlier election in an effort to win back a majority in the House of Commons.
On Sunday morning, Trudeau met with Governor-General Mary Simon to request she dissolve parliament. Governor-General Mary Simon approved the request after meeting Trudeau on Sunday
“The decisions your government makes right now will define the future your kids and grandkids will grow up in,” Trudeau told reporters after meeting with Simon. “So in this pivotal, consequential moment, who wouldn’t want a say?”
In sending Canadians to the polls, Trudeau is hoping to capitalize on the success of provincial leaders in recent elections. In all cases, voters have rewarded incumbent provincial governments with legislative majorities.
Though the next election was slated for October 2023, Trudeau is betting that the Liberal Party may be able to win its majority again after the last election in 2019 left his political party with not enough seats to take control of the House of Commons. There is no guarantee for the prime minister, whose Liberals have led the country since 2015. The prime minister’s rivals have shown little interest in heading to the polls.
In late July, the New Democratic leader, Jagmeet Singh, sent a letter to the newly installed governor-general, Mary Simon, calling on her to reject Trudeau’s request to dissolve parliament. Singh pointed out that the country’s fixed-election law states that every general election must be held on the third Monday of October four calendar years after the last one.
Elections Canada, the national body that oversees elections has said it is prepared to safely conduct a vote nationwide but warned that counts could be delayed. Canadians will cast their ballot in five weeks on September 20, the shortest election campaign allowed under federal law.
