One day after winning an election that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau referred to as a “pivotal moment” in his country’s history, Canada seems to have returned to the point where it all started.
The Liberal Party’s share of power in Parliament has remained about the same as it was during the last session of Parliament, despite Mr. Trudeau’s narrow win on Monday, when voters turned out in record low numbers for an election. The same may be said for each and every event.
That explains why some Canadians are referring to this election as “the election to nowhere.”
In addition, the winner may turn out to be the loser. Those who oppose Mr. Trudeau argue that the vote may have damaged his credibility and reinforced the perception among many Canadians that he is a political opportunist as a result.
According to Andrew McDougall, a professor of political science at the University of Toronto, “His position is safe, but I still believe he comes out reduced as a result of this.”
When Mr. Trudeau announced the 36-day marketing campaign in August — the shortest period permitted by law — he said that he needed a strong mandate to get the epidemic under control and lead the country back to financial stability.
In spite of the fact that he never directly said it, Mr. Trudeau expressed his desire to move his political recognition from the federal government’s response to the epidemic to a majority in Parliament. He, on the other hand, never explicitly disputed it.
Many prominent Liberals, including his friend and former premier political advisor Gerald Butts, believed that Mr. Trudeau never made a convincing argument that a minority Parliament prevented him from carrying out his legislative goals, especially his massive pandemic-related expenditure proposals. While the opposition was successful in delaying several of Mr. Trudeau’s proposals, the only legislation he presented that did not pass were the payments that were still outstanding when Parliament was dissolved at Mr. Trudeau’s request for a vote on the issue.
Several surveys indicated that few people were paying attention, especially before Labor Day, when it seemed that the majority of the country’s attention was focused on beaches, boats, and barbecues, among other things.
Despite the fact that the election was the most expensive in Canadian history — it cost $600 million in Canadian dollars – voter participation was the lowest it has ever been at 58.44 percent, according to preliminary figures, which are expected to stay unchanged when final results are announced.
