City
Epaper

Canada's federal election campaign officially begins

By IANS | Updated: September 12, 2019 04:00 IST

Canada's 43rd federal election campaign officially kicked off after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Governor General Julie Payette had accepted his request to dissolve the 42nd Parliament.

Open in App

Trudeau, Leader of the Liberal Party, will have five and a half weeks to convince Canad to give his government a second chance when they head to the polls on October 21 in all 338 ridings, Xinhua news agency reported.

Under Canada's new fixed-date election rules, the campaign can only run a maximum of 50 days. A majority government requires a single party to win at least 170 seats.

Trudeau won a majority government in 2015 with 184 of the 338 seats in the House of Commons. The Conservative Party got 99 and the New Democratic Party (NDP) had 44 while the Bloc Quebecois had 10 and the Green Party got one.

Several other MPs were also sitting as Independents, including Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott, who were forced out of caucus by Trudeau for raising concerns about the SNC-Lavalin scandal. Both are running as Independent candidates in this election.

The Conservatives also lost Maxime Bernier, who was elected under their banner but quit to start the People's Party of Canada.

The Greens have seen a surge in popularity in recent provincial elections and federal by-elections, the NDP under leader Jagmeet Singh has plummeted in the polls and heads into the campaign having lost one-third of its incumbent MPs, who opted not to seek re-election.

The official debates of the major party leaders are set to take place on October 7 in English and October 10 in French.

Trudeau's Liberals are seeking a second mandate and will spend the next 40 days pitching Canad on the party's accomplishments while trying to contrast themselves on social issues with their main rivals.

The latest Nanos poll shows that the Liberal Party has a slight lead heading into the campaign with 34.6 per cent in the polls. The Conservative Party is sitting at 30.7 per cent, the NDP at 16.6 per cent, Greens at 11 percent, the Bloc Quebecois at 4 per cent, and the People's Party at 1 per cent.

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: TrudeaucanadaConservative Party
Open in App

Related Stories

InternationalKhalistani Group Threatens ‘Siege’ of Indian Consulate in Vancouver on September 18

MumbaiFiring at Kapil Sharma's Cafe: Security Beefed Up Outside Actor’s Mumbai Residence In Andheri

EntertainmentKapil Sharma's Canada Cafe Attacked Second Time; Bishnoi Gang Claims Responsibility

MumbaiMumbai Police Visit Kapil Sharma’s Residence After Firing at His Kap’s Café in Canada

NationalKap's Cafe Pens Emotional Message After Gunfire Attack: ‘Processing This Shock, But Not Giving Up’

International Realted Stories

InternationalPhilippines Earthquake: Death toll rises to 72, search and rescue ops conclude

InternationalGermany: Munich airport reopens after drone sightings forced suspension of flight operations

International"Self-respecting nations won't be humiliated", says foreign affairs expert after Putin's big praise for PM Modi

InternationalINS Sahyadri arrives at Malaysia's Kemaman Port, set to enhance bilateral engagement

InternationalSouth Korean govt vows to accelerate restoration of online govt services during Chuseok holiday