It's official, voters will be going to the polls this fall as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called an election.
Earlier this morning Trudeau visited Rideau Hall to meet with Governor-General Mary Simon to ask her to dissolve the 43rd Parliament, therefore triggering a federal election. Simon agreed and now Canada will be launched into a federal election.
"This is a really important moment in Canada's history, in the past 2 years of the pandemic, we've been making really big, really consequential decisions. Government and indeed Parliament needs an opportunity to get a mandate from Canadians, to hear from Canadian's on how to end this [COVID-19] pandemic, how to build back better in really meaningful ways. This is a moment where we're going to be taking decisions that will last not just for the coming months but for the coming decades. Canadians deserve their say and that's exactly what we're going to give them, " said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on his decision to call an election
The Liberals are sending Canadians to the polls on September 20, 2021, which is only 36 days of campaigning, the shortest possible permitted under elections law.
Currently, the Liberal party has a minority government with 157 seats and needs 170 seats for a majority government.
Writs will be drawn up for all 338 ridings, which will allow all federal party leaders to kick off their campaigns.