Canada’s Trudeau sought an election he risks losing with only a week to go

GBNEWS24DESK//

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had hoped to secure a majority in parliament when he called a snap election, but a lackluster campaign and public anger over a vote during a pandemic are putting his chances of victory at risk, reports Reuters.

Trudeau, in power since 2015, decided to gamble on an early vote and capitalize on his government’s handling of the pandemic, which included massive spending to support individuals and businesses and high vaccination rates.

But with just a week to go until the Sept. 20 election, Trudeau’s Liberals are nowhere near the 38% in public support needed for a majority and could even lose to the Conservatives, led by the relatively unknown Erin O’Toole.

Insiders blame what they call an initially low-energy campaign and the inevitable political baggage that Trudeau, 49, has accumulated since he took office six years ago promising “sunny ways.”

“I wish he hadn’t called it,” a Liberal insider said of Trudeau’s decision to seek an election two years before the end of his term.

Trudeau says he needs a new mandate to ensure Canadians approve of his plan for getting the country past the coronavirus pandemic. The Liberals, whose fiscal policy supports for the pandemic exceed 23% of GDP, plan billions in new spending to support economic recovery if re-elected.