Canada: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces early elections

The parliament in Canada is incapable of acting.

At least that's how Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sees it and announces new elections.

The opposition accuses him of selfishness.

Ottawa - Canada prepares for a quick election campaign.

The early election is to take place on September 20, 2021.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced this.

Governor General Mary Simon * complied with his request to dissolve parliament, Trudeau announced on Sunday (August 15, 2021, local time).

Justin Trudeau hopes to get backing for his Corona policy. "Canadians must decide how we will end the fight against Covid-19," said the Prime Minister.

He called on voters to make their voices heard and to shape politics together.

Canada: Opposition criticizes early parliamentary elections

The opposition criticizes the early elections in Canada in view of the still rampant corona pandemic.

Conservative Party leader Erin O'Toole said his greatest concern was an impending fourth wave.

The new election should not be rushed.

Trudeau repeatedly puts his own interests above the interests of Canadians, the opposition politician continued.

Jagmeet Singh, leader of the left-wing New Democratic Party (NDP), also accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Egosimus.

The climate crisis, the lack of clean drinking water in many indigenous communities and income inequality are more pressing problems.

Trudeau should focus on that rather than on elections, said Singh.

Early election in Canada: Trudeau wants to secure the parliament's ability to act

Trudeau has ruled since 2015 and was re-elected in 2019, but lost his parliamentary majority *.

With the support of the opposition, his minority government was able to implement various aid programs and laws in the fight against the corona pandemic.

Even so, Justin Trudeau repeatedly complains that Parliament cannot do its job.

The new elections in Canada should solve the problem.

+

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces new elections.

© Justin Tang / dpa

Whether the early parliamentary election will actually help Trudeau's Liberal Party to a majority of at least 170 of the 338 seats is uncertain.

The Liberals were a step ahead of the Conservatives for a long time, but recent polls show that the chance of a majority is around 50 percent, said Daniel Beland, political scientist from McGill University, the Al Jazeera broadcaster.

In British Columbia, the NDP is receiving a lot of support, while in French-speaking Québec, the separatist Bloc Quebecois is getting more and more support, Beland said.

However, the Conservatives, who for many years have been the Liberals' greatest competition, have had poor poll numbers.

According to a study by CBC News, which takes into account all the latest poll results, the Conservatives are at 28.8 percent.

Trudeau's Liberal Party stands at 35.6 percent.

The NDP stands at 19.3 percent.

Trudeau's early election: the expert thinks it is unnecessary

Stewart Perst, on the other hand, doubts whether Canada's prime minister has to take the risk of a new election at all.

The choice is unnecessary, said the political scientist from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia.

The minority government of the liberals mostly found majorities in parliament.

"The parliament works," Perst told Al Jazeera.

According to Stewart Perst, the election campaign before the Canadian new election is determined by the corona policy.

The question of whether the government should withdraw or expand current state aid could be crucial, Perst said.

In view of the heat waves on the west coast of Canada *, climate policy could also be decisive.

(Max Schäfer)

* fr.de is an offer in IPPEN-MEDIA

.

List of rubric lists: © Justin Tang / dpa