Wednesday, September 11, 2019 ~ NATIONAL.
~ West Shore Voice News
This morning in Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited with Governor General Julie Payette at Rideau Hall and requested dissolution of the 42nd parliament of Canada, so that the 43rd federal general election could be called.
The election will be held on Monday October 21, which allows for a full 40 days of campaigning.
Addressing media afterward, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau said:
“Politics is about people. Maybe you’re a recent grad, or a new Canadian, maybe you’re raising your kids, or living out your golden years in retirement. Whoever you are, you deserve a real plan for your future. We’ve done a lot together these past four years. But the truth is, we’re just getting started. So Canadians have an important choice to make. Will we go back to the failed policies of the past or will we continue to move forward? That’s the choice. It’s that clear. And it’s that important. I’m for moving forward for everyone.”
Overall, Trudeau’s Liberals are promoting the party’s accomplishments, especially their focus on improving conditions for “the middle class and those working hard to join it” (that was the verbage in the 2015 campaign that endured through most of 2015-2019). This puts the Liberals in contrast to their main election rival, the Conservatives, with a focus on social issues.
Trudeau deflected the national media’s attempt to dwell on the SVN-Lavalin controversy that clouded his public profile for most of this year; a Globe and Mail article this morning had relaunched attention on the issue.
After the Ottawa formalities, Trudeau’s campaign team and members of the national media headed to Vancouver, and are said to also be arriving on Vancouver Island later today. In BC, the issues are more focused on the environment and the Liberals will want to hold onto and gain seats at the expense of what they see as an embattled federal NDP.
As of last night, the NDP was short 133 candidates for the full 338 ridings across Canada, the Liberals were short by 41, the Greens needed 30, and the People’s Party of Canada still had 22 ridings without a candidate. The Conservatives which have succeeded with a strong fundraising campaign have a candidate in every riding.
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer launched his official campaign in Quebec today, and the Green Party under Elizabeth May held an early morning launch in Victoria. Jagmeet Singh launched the NDP campaign in London, Ontario.
The way votes translate into seats in the Canadian parliament, elections are often numerically decided by vote results in Ontario (particularly metro Toronto), Quebec, and BC (particularly the lower mainland, but also strategically on Vancouver Island).
The Victoria Chamber of Commerce is hosting an all candidates forum at 5:30 this evening, September 11, at the Victoria Conference Centre.