Canadians can expect a federal election on Sept. 20: sources

Voters can expect to head to the polls for a federal election on Sept. 20.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is planning to visit Rideau Hall on Sunday to ask that Parliament be dissolved, said sources with knowledge of his plans who spoke to CBC News on the condition they not be named.

Those sources said the prime minister is expected to announce a 36-day campaign — the minimum campaign length permitted by law — meaning voting day would be Monday, Sept. 20.

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News of the call has been reported already by Reuters and La Presse.

COVID-19 concerns

Anticipating an election call, opposition leaders are already criticizing Trudeau for launching an election while COVID-19 continues to circulate.

Earlier today, while unveiling his own campaign promises, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said an early election call would be “selfish.”

“While Justin Trudeau wants to act like it’s over … it’s not over and people are still worried,” he said from St. John’s this morning.

“If Justin Trudeau was listening to people and their concerns and their worries, he would not be holding a selfish summer election.”

Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole also has said that the Liberals should not rush the country into a federal election during a fourth wave of the pandemic.

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, has said that due to a combination of health protocols and Canada’s high rate of vaccination, she’s confident in-person voting can be conducted safely through public health measures.

The country’s chief electoral officer, Stephane Perrault, said the final outcome of a pandemic election could take a few days to report due to an anticipated increase in mail-in ballots.

Elections Canada said it expects as many as five million mail-in votes this time around, compared to fewer than 50,000 in the 2019 election.

Perrault said mail-in ballots will not be counted until the day after the election.

CBC