Ottawa
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday announced snap elections for September 20 to seek a new mandate to steer the nation s pandemic exit, much to the dismay of his rival parties.
Despite rolling out massive pandemic aid, passing a federal budget and other key legislation with opposition backing over the past year, Trudeau — in office since 2015 — has lamented that parliament has become dysfunctional.
The prime minister met Governor General Mary Simon on Sunday to ask her to dissolve parliament, triggering a general election that polling shows is likely to return his Liberals to power.
“Canadians need to choose how we finish the fight against Covid-19 and build back better — from getting the job done on vaccines, to having people s backs all the way through to the end of this crisis,” Trudeau said after the meeting.
All five parties currently holding seats in parliament are gearing up for a fierce battle at the ballot box.—AFP
