What 2021 snap election says about Canadians’ feelings toward Trudeau

Highlights

• As per the numbers posted on Election Canada at 12.09PM EST, on Tuesday, September 21, the Liberal Party was leading the election with 158 out of the total 338 seats.
• Primary opposition Conservatives was right behind with 119 seats.
• Despite garnering most of the electoral districts, the Liberals still remain quite far from the required 170-seat mark required to form a majority government.

Justin Trudeau has given his victory speech for the 2021 snap elections. And in it, the prime minister stressed that Canadians have given his Liberal Party a “clear mandate”.

Canadians, however, do not seem to have handed him complete control of legislature.

Also read: What's Next For Canadian Real Estate As Trudeau Wins Without Majority?

As per the numbers posted on Election Canada at 2PM EST, on Tuesday, September 21, the Liberal Party was leading the election with 158 out of the total 338 seats. Primary opposition Conservatives were right behind with 119 seats.

But despite garnering most of the electoral districts, the Liberals still remain quite far from the required 170-seat mark (i.e., more than half of the total seats) required to form a majority government.

Hence, Mr Trudeau is heading back to office with a minority parliament like before —  the very thing he was looking to leave behind with the snap polls.

What does this win say about the public’s feelings toward Trudeau? It seems to be a myriad of things.

Also read: Will Canada’s election results bring a paradigm shift to ZEVs?

What a minority win could say about Canada’s feelings toward Trudeau

Winning most seats in the 2021 snap polls points that Prime Minister Trudeau has substantial support from the public. It also marks a landmark victory as it makes him one of the few leaders in the country who have bagged three elections in a row.

However, Canadians’ refusal to give him full power of the legislature could be an indication of their lack of complete trust.

When Trudeau announced the snap election in August, scheduling it for the very next month, he pointed that his aim was to obtain a strong mandate for his party which would help carry the country out of the pandemic.

The decision to hold the federal election two years ahead of its time was quite likely influenced by his high approval ratings. But the confidence does not seem to have gotten the party where it was looking to land.

Some political commentators note that Trudeau’s call to conduct a federal election in the midst of a pandemic may have struck as “opportunistic” to some people.

The Liberal government’s manner of handling the COVID-19 crisis, especially with the delay in kickstarting the vaccine campaign and the lack of homegrown shots, had been widely criticized by the opposition. It is quite likely to have miffed a section of the voters too.

Then, there was the Trudeau administration’s big spending plans that also did not sit well with many critics.

Another widely discussed plan of his that left many feeling cross was the proposal to regulate streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime, which many saw a hindrance in free speech.

But at the same time, Trudeau has been repeatedly commended for his actions in planning for a green economy, for a swift extension of support to Canadians during the pandemic, his work in the equal rights space, etc.

The significant margin with which the Liberals are falling short of a majoritarian government could be a reflection of a nation that is uncertain. And this uncertainty — about a fourth COVID wave, rising debt levels, impending rise of interest rates, transitioning to a low-carbon economy, etc— may have left a section of Canadians hesitant about handing complete power one party.

Also read: What to consider when creating post-snap election portfolio in Canada

Bottom line

While Prime Minister Trudeau is returning to power for a historic third term, latest numbers show that the Liberals have secured only 32.2 per cent of the national vote. Apart from reportedly being the lowest share a ruling party has scored in Canada’s voting history, it also stands against the Conservatives’ 34 per cent.