Canadians went to the polls on Monday September 20th… and elected a government very similar to the one in place the month before.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s minority Liberal government was elected in 2019; while Canadian federal elections are generally called every four years, minority governments don’t have a history of longevity and voters often head back to the polls within roughly two years of a minority government’s formation. However, this election was called while Canada is still grappling with the spread of COVID’s Delta variant, and its timing left a sour taste in voters’ mouths.
Trudeau positioned this election as the country’s chance to decide how to finish the pandemic and rebuild the economy, although Canadians were largely satisfied with the government’s overall handling of the pandemic and found little need for another vote. The results indicate that Canadians want to ‘stay the course, and some say that holding this election has only served to erode any goodwill Trudeau gathered over the previous 18 months.
Although the results offered little material change to Canada’s government, some are predicting that it will be a fractious Parliament. We’ll find out when the House of Commons reconvenes on Monday, October 18.
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