City
Epaper

Canadians head to polls, Trudeau fights to retain power in tight race with Andrew Scheer

By ANI | Updated: October 22, 2019 11:39 IST

Canadians headed to polls on Monday (local time) to vote in a tight race being seen as a litmus test for the leadership of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Open in App

Canadians headed to polls on Monday (local time) to vote in a tight race being seen as a litmus test for the leadership of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Polling stations on the eastern side of the country opened at 8:30 a.m. (local time), Al Jazeera reported.

After winning a strong majority in 2015, Trudeau is now hoping for a second term but polling indicates a neck-and-neck fight between his Liberal Party and Andrew Scheer's Conservatives.

The New Democratic Party (NDP) and Bloc Quebecois also saw surges in popularity last week, meng they could steal seats from the two main parties.

The Canadian Parliament has 338 seats and the party that wins the majority of those seats - 170 or more - forms a majority government and can easily pass legislation. But the polls predict no party will win a majority this election. In that scenario, the parties must team up to form a government and pass legislation.

In the last 40 days, party leaders crisscrossed the country talking to voters, focusing on regions where support could swing in their favour - especially Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia. In the final 24 hours, party leaders flocked to Vancouver to make their final pitches.

Trudeau cast his ballot in Papineau riding in Montreal, a district he has held since 2008. His son Hadrian helped him put his ballot in the box.

Meanwhile, Andrew Scheer told voters, "We want Canadians to send Conservative MPs to Ottawa so we can start the work to undo the damage that Justin Trudeau has caused, to return to balanced budgets, to lower taxes and help Canadians get ahead."

During the last elections, the Liberals had swept Toronto and are winning every district in what was dubbed the "red tide". This election, the Conservatives are closing in on Liberal territory in the suburbs, while the NDP is fighting Liberal candidates in the downtown area.

( With inputs from ANI )

Tags: Justin TrudeauQuebecAndrew ScheerNDPOttawa
Open in App

Related Stories

InternationalCanada: Indian National Stabbed to Death in Rockland, Suspect Arrested

InternationalJustin Trudeau Spotted at House of Commons Carrying His Chair With Tongue Out

InternationalJustin Trudeau Resigns: Former Canada PM's Net Worth Revealed; Salary Compared to PM Narendra Modi

InternationalJustin Trudeau Resigns As Canada PM and Liberal Party Leader, Says 'I Can't Be Best Option For Election' (Watch Video)

NationalPM Modi Condemns Attack on Hindu Temple in Canada, Says “Such Acts of Violence Will Never Weaken India’s Resolve”

International Realted Stories

InternationalS. Korean economy shrinks in Q1 amid political chaos, tariff uncertainty

InternationalCanada condemns Pahalgam terror attack; Senator calls it 'Barbaric assault on faith'

International"India must do to Pakistan's ISI what Israel did to Hamas": Former Pentagon official

International"Senseless, shocking act of violence": Canadian PM condemns Pahalgam terror attack

InternationalSouth Korea: Former President Moon Jae-in indicted in bribery case involving son-in-law's airline job