…from the NY Times…
It was a political calculation. And on Monday Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will find out if it succeeded.
When Mr. Trudeau announced a snap election last month — two years ahead of schedule — his aides were apparently hoping that the lift in approval ratings for his handling of the pandemic would translate into a decisive win, giving his Liberal Party the majority in Parliament that it lost in the last election, in 2019.
He characterized the call not as a political gambit, however, but as pivotal moment in the country’s history. In the 36 days that followed, he does not appear to have persuaded many Canadians to see it that way.
Instead, there was continued grumbling about holding an election even as the Delta variant of the coronavirus was straining hospitals in some areas. Mr. Trudeau’s opponents characterized his move as a reckless power grab. Last weekend, Erin O’Toole, the leader of the Conservative Party and his chief rival, even called it “un-Canadian.” If the campaign ultimately holds any distinction, it may be as the most annoying one in recent memory.
Mr. Trudeau argued that, like his predecessors in the aftermath of World War II, he needed a strong mandate from voters to vanquish the pandemic and reset the nation’s economy on a path to recovery. While he avoided saying so directly, what the Liberals sought was a majority of the seats in the House of Commons. In the 2019 election, voters denied that to the party, which has meant Mr. Trudeau had to rely on votes from opposition parties to pass legislation.
If final polls prove accurate, Mr. Trudeau will again be denied. The Liberals standings dropped sharply at the start of the campaign, and have remained stuck in a statistical tie with the Conservatives, at about 30 percent each….
image…Cole Burston/Getty
Election’s Canada operation has been a mess…
And?
There ARE lines of people waiting to vote up there that are blocks long…
Sound’s so ?
AMERICAN?
Elections Canada
@ElectionsCan_E
Replying to
@ObesityPandemic
We expect that the counting of all ballots, except for local special ballots, including local mail-in ballots, will be finished on election night. (1/5)
David Beard
@dwbeard
CBC and CTV News have both projected a Liberal government – no word on minority versus majority
Running totals & projections from the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting):
https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/elections/federal/2021/results/
Liberal
36 seats won
113 projected
149 total
36.1% of vote so far
779,698 votes so far
Conservative
42
+
75
*
117
33.0%
711,564
Bloc Québécois
11
+
17
=
28
6.6%
143,337
New Democrat
2
+
26
=
28
16.2%
350,056
Green
0
+
2
=
2
2.4%
51,209
People’s Party (new far-right party)
0
0
0
4.8%
103,859
Other
0
0
0
0.8%
17,802
18.1% polls reporting 91 elected in 338 ridings
PiereJustin squeaks thru, eh?Meet the new government, same as the old government.
After 36 days of parties campaigning for the votes of Canadians, the CBC News decision desk is projecting another Liberal minority government.
As of 11:14 p.m. ET, the Liberals were leading in 155 ridings. The Conservatives led in 122, with other seats being led by the Bloc Quebecois (29), the NDP (29) and the Greens (two).
Despite the victory, the result will be disappointing for the Liberals, who had their sights set on a majority government. Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau calculated that the time was right for a snap election, with the party arguing that it needed a mandate to “finish the fight” against COVID-19.
The opposition argued that the election was only called so that Trudeau could fulfil his political ambitions.
To win a majority government, the Liberals need to win 170 seats or more. The Liberals triggered the election holding 155, while the Conservatives held 119.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-votes-2021-election-night-highlights-1.6177106
Somewhere Gavin Newsom is smiling….
So is Justin…..
Snap elections are always a big mistake. Just ask Teresa May.