Wave of Federal Pre-Election Rumor's Heat Up: When Do We Vote and What Will Happen?
With the recent announcement of an upcoming pre-election fundraiser scheduled for this Friday, Liberals are unofficially notifying the public of an early election.
When will Canadians actually be summoned to the polls for the 44th Federal Elections?
Liberals have been openly speaking about plans to call an early election since March of 2021. Now, signs point to an election being called within weeks rather than months. In Alberta, both Liberals and NDP members have been initiating the preliminary measures of official campaigning.
Conservative candidate Garnett Genius, MP of Sherwood Park-Fort Saskatchewan, is also jumping on the campaign trail with an open invitation for an outdoor election readiness fundraiser this week. Genius was previously vocal about concerns regarding Bill C-6, which dealt with conversion therapy.
Regular Federal elections are scheduled to take place on or before October 16th, 2023. However, the past year has caused a reevaluation of the country’s leadership by both HOC members and the general population. Before breaking for the summer last week, Conservative MP Raquel Dancho and Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for concrete answers about Canada’s future. Dancho asked, "Where is the plan to secure the future for Canadians?" The PM’s response: the 2021 budget. However, rhetoric in the room was light on specifics from both sides, with no further details on high-ranking transparency, anti-corruption laws, media censorship, or sewage dumping. But, what’s new?
While analysts have predicted a September election, many MPs anticipate the call as early as August/late summer. Members of all parties are working to reconnect with the community face-to-face after a year of physical distancing restrictions. Meet and greet events are also being set up to gather funds and pre-election contributions.
An election could also mean more detailed proposals on pressing issues in the form of private members bills - put forth at strategic and opportune times. Or, an election now could be swayed by the management of the pandemic, vaccine roll-out, and recent drawn-out scandals in Parliament. As liberals consider their options, recent projections show the Trudeau-lead party’s initiative would be a strategic - and only slightly risky - grab for power. Bloc and NDP currently sit in a healthy position, and an early election isn’t in their best interest. For Liberals, Premiers like Andrew Furey and Blaine Higgs came out hot, prompting projections of a summer election mimicking voting trends of 2019. Liberals lead over Conservatives by an average of 5 points and margins between 1 and 11 points. Polls also predict NDP coming in with a net gain of 6 to 12 seats - meaning any LPC plans will likely not result in a majority.
