GG dissolves Parliament at Trudeau’s request, triggering election with Sept. 20 vote

OTTAWA — Gov. Gen. Mary Simon has agreed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s request to dissolve Parliament, triggering an election campaign amid a fourth wave of COVID-19 and over opposition accusations it is reckless and unnecessary.

The Liberal party leader visited Rideau Hall on Sunday to ask Simon to pull the plug on the minority Parliament and send Canadians to the polls on Sept. 20.

After the meeting, Trudeau said his government did not expect COVID-19 to arrive but it focused on supporting Canadians and small businesses throughout the pandemic, delivering the Canada Emergency Response Benefit and wage subsidy for those hit hard by the crisis.

Canadians need to choose how the country finishes the fight against COVID-19, he said.

“In this pivotal, consequential moment, who wouldn’t want a say? Who wouldn’t want their chance to decide where our country goes from here?” Trudeau asked.

“As much as we’ve done over the past many, many months, we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us. … You deserve a say, because this is your moment.”

The election call comes days after Canada’s chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam warned the country was in the midst of a fourth wave of the pandemic with case numbers steadily rising in recent weeks.

However, Trudeau argued Canadians deserve a chance to decide whether they agree with the Liberals’ ambitious and costly plan to rebuild the economy once the pandemic recedes.

The Liberals have also maintained that a minority Parliament had become toxic and dysfunctional and that they need a strong majority mandate in order to implement the recovery plan.

Opposition parties dismiss these claims, pointing out that the government has not lost any confidence votes, including on its spring budget, and arguing that holding an election during a pandemic is irresponsible and dangerous.

Even so, opposition leaders have been criss-crossing the country making campaign-style announcements in recent weeks.

On Sunday, Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole accused Trudeau of risking the progress that Canada has made on COVID-19. Canadians can finally see their loved ones, friends and neighbours again, and Trudeau shouldn’t risk all their hard work for “political gains,” he said.

At the same time, the Tory leader declined to say whether he would require his candidates to be vaccinated. On the question of mandatory vaccinations in general, he said he respects Canadians’ right to make their own health choices.

He said Trudeau’s government has left too many Canadians struggling to pay the bills or cover the costs of housing, food and heating, and yet the Liberal leader is asking them to reward his party with another four years.

The Conservatives’ recovery plan will ensure the economy is firing on all cylinders and get Canada’s finances under control, O’Toole said, while securing a million new jobs and ensuring more Canadian-made medical supplies.

“Canadians deserve to know what their politicians will deliver. They deserve to know that there’s a plan, and they deserve a government that will keep its word,” O’Toole said.

“Twelve years in the military have taught me to always have a plan. Canada’s Recovery Plan will unite our country and secure the future.”

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh launched his campaign in Montreal, criticizing Trudeau’s early election call as “selfish.”

The Liberal leader’s decision to call an election two years early, in a pandemic, shows that he doesn’t want to follow through on his promises and Canadians will pay the price, Singh said.

Singh told his supporters he’ll fight for working people to make the ultrarich and big corporations pay their fair share and to build a recovery from the pandemic that works for everyone.

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet added his voice to the chorus of federal leaders blasting Trudeau for the election call, describing it as very irresponsible and accusing him of acting out of personal ambition.

Green Leader Annamie Paul launched her campaign in the riding of Toronto Centre, where she is hoping to win a seat in the House of Commons. Her speech emphasized the climate crisis and the need for urgent action.

Trudeau and his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau arrived at Rideau Hall Sunday morning with their three children, Xavier, Ella-Grace and Hadrien, and walked through the back garden before he entered the residence.

The Liberal leader is launching a campaign just short of two years after the last vote, when his party was reduced to a minority government, and polls suggest it’s far from certain the party can snag a majority this time.

But Trudeau is gambling that general satisfaction with his handling of the pandemic — and the unprecedented billions doled out in emergency aid — will propel them past the 170 seats needed for a majority in the 338-seat House of Commons.

Liberal strategists privately acknowledge that voters could punish the party for perceived opportunism, particularly if the pandemic worsens or the campaign triggers a super-spreader event.

Criticism about the speed of the Liberal response to COVID-19, particularly its slow procurement of vaccines, could also be in the offing.

But they’re banking on voters rewarding the government for the fact that Canada now leads the world in vaccinations, which should prevent the fourth wave from being as deadly as the first three.

Tam has said she believes Canadians should be able to vote safely in a pandemic election, provided public health protocols are followed.

At dissolution, the Liberals had 155 seats, the Conservatives 119, the Bloc Québécois 32, the NDP 24 and the Greens two. There were also five Independents and one vacancy.

The Canadian Press