On Sunday, August 15th, Justin Trudeau officially triggered an early federal election, in which voters will be going to the polls on September 20th, 2021. Trudeau reasoned that it was vital for Canadians to be able to voice their opinions during this “consequential moment” to determine how and under whose leadership Canada would move forward during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other party leaders like Erin O’toole of the Conservative Party and Jagmeet Singh of New Democratic Party have criticized the decision to have a federal election in the midst of a pandemic and have argued that Trudeau is merely trying to grasp onto more power.

Past Election:
In 2019, Trudeau lost his majority government from the 2015 federal election and is hoping that his handling of the pandemic which includes extensive amounts of financial support to individuals suffering from hospital bills, loss of jobs, and poor consumer confidence will give him enough support from Canadians to win him another majority government.

However, many polls have indicated that after the new federal election was called Trudeau and his Liberal government are currently out of majority territory.

Price of Election:
It is estimated that the upcoming federal election will cost Elections Canada $610 million dollars to accomodate for extensive public health measures to ensure voters are able to vote safely in the midst of the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Current Situation in Parliament
Number of seats in the House of Commons for each party:

Liberals: 155
Conservatives: 119
Bloc Québécois: 32
NDP: 24
Independent: 5
Green: 2

In order to secure a majority, a party must obtain at least 170 seats in the House of Commons in this upcoming federal election.