Canadian Prime Minster calls for snap elections in September: What you need to know

Picture Courtesy: Toronto Sun

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called for a snap election in September in hopes of winning majority seats in the government. His party would need 170 seats in the parliament to secure a majority, and according to the latest polls, he can pull off this number.

On Sunday, Trudeau met with Governor-General Mary Simon to request that she dissolves the parliament, a request that she approved. After his meeting with Simon, Trudeau said to the reporters, “The decisions your government makes right now will define the future your kids and grandkids will grow up in, so in this pivotal, consequential moment, who wouldn’t want a say?”

Justin Trudeau has mostly relied on the collision government for the past two years for passing major legislation, however, lately, there have been some differences between the parties which has led to delay in the passing of legislation. According to reports, Justin Trudeau wants to cash in his success in the fight against the coronavirus into poll numbers.

Justin Trudeau’s Liberal party has led Canada since 2015, however, there is no surety that this gamble by the Prime Minister will pay off. According to the latest poll data, his party has a five-point advantage over the opposition Conservatives.

The New Democratic leader, Jagmeet Singh had said earlier, “It’s not the right time to have an election. People might say ‘that that’s what governments do’ … I don’t think that’s what governments do when you’re in the middle of a pandemic.”

‘Elections Canada’ has said that they are prepared to conduct safe elections. The Canadians will cast their votes on September 20th, in just five weeks. This is the shortest election campaign allowed under federal law.