Canada's current Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, called for a snap federal election in August two years ahead of schedule. But why now? Why not wait and stay in office for another two years? While Trudeau has yet to provide an in-depth explanation as to why he called for an election in the height of Canada's fourth wave of the pandemic, many analyzers argue that it is due to the rise of support his party experienced over the last few months. As of now, however, Trudeau's gamble has yet to pay off with his support dropping in the polls, partly due to criticism from his main opposition, Erin O'Toole, the leader of the Conservative Party.
In Canada, citizens do not vote directly for the Prime Minister. Instead, they vote for their district's representative in the House of Commons and whichever party holds the majority vote - 170 seats or more - enacts their party leader as the Prime Minister. The snap election provides candidates within a 36 day period, the shortest time allowed by law, between campaigning and voting day. While Canada has six main parties within the country, based on the latest numbers, the Liberal and Conservative parties are head to head, holding the majority of the votes.
Making his first appearance in the 2018 election, Erin O'Toole is gaining much traction as the leader of the Conservative Party. He argues that Trudeau's decision to enact a snap election at the height of the pandemic was "selfish" and "Un-Canadian," according to BBC news. His platform mainly targets working-class citizens and initially held more conservative views on stances such as gun control and climate change; however, in light of the recent election, O'Toole has gone back on some of his previous claims, allowing his opponents to argue that "he'll say anything to get elected," according to the Washington Post.
Until the election results are released, it is unclear if Trudeau's gamble will pay off and provide him with another term as Prime Minister or if O'Toole will take his place.
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