OTTAWA: According to preliminary figures, some 5,780,000 electors voted at the advance polls in this general election in 338 electoral districts.
This is a 18.46% increase from the 4,879,312 electors who voted in advance in the 2019 and a 57 per cent increase from the 2015 general election, Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault said.
“It should be noted that these are estimates. Some polls may not have reported yet,” he added. Advance polls were open from Friday, September 10, 2021, to Monday, September 13, 2021, from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on each day.
“I want to thank the electors who took advantage of advance polls for their patience and their help in making this a safe experience for everyone. I also want to thank the tens of thousands of election workers for making this possible,” Stéphane Perrault said.
“Canadians still have the opportunity to contribute to this great democratic exercise by voting on election day or by returning their special ballot before the September 20 deadline.”
Rejean Grenier, regional media adviser for Ontario for Elections Canada, said more than 1.3 million Canadians voted on Friday, the first day for advance polls. Meanwhile, leaders of all parties are continuing with their campaigns, promising solutions to issues ranging from housing affordability, the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic recovery, and climate change to oil pipelines and facing up to an aggressive China.
On the last leg of the campaign, Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh blamed the Liberals and Justin Trudeau for the 4.1% spike in inflation in August compared with the same month a year earlier, fuelled by rising consumer demand and supply-chain constraints for many goods.
Both said Trudeau’s inaction on multiple fronts, including the housing sector, are driving Canadians to despair. All parties are promising increased spending in diverse sectors of the economy, although analysts are warning that such exorbitant spending plans could exert more pressure on interest rates and prices in the long run.
The leaders are now crisscrossing the country, shoring up their support and appealing to undecided voters. Major party leaders took part in their final English-language televised debate last Saturday, battling over who has the best vision for the country’s future. Though none of the leaders emerged unscathed from the raucous backand-forth of the evening, the voters were still undecided after watching the Thursday night debate for two hours, Polls are still saying that although the Conservatives are holding a miniscule lead, most Canadians favour Trudeau as the prime minister.
In the latest poll, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party is slightly behind Erin O’Toole’s Conservative Party in a tight race that could result in either party forming a minority government on election day on September 20.
However, the Liberals may have the edge to win more seats of the House of Commons in Canada’s two most populous provinces of Ontario and Quebec, positioning Trudeau to secure a third term as Prime Minister. Trudeau attacked against O’Toole in a far more aggressive manner than what he displayed in the previous debates, both of which were conducted in French, Canada’s other official language.
On climate action, Trudeau’s record came under fire by O’Toole, who highlighted that Canada, under a Liberal government for the past six years, has the worst record among Group of Seven countries for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Absent in the debate was Maxime Bernier, a former federal Conservative cabinet minister who now leads the rightwing People’s Party of Canada (PPC).
With regard to health, Trudeau said: No one should be able to withhold access to care. That’s why we’ll establish regulations under the Canada Health Act to guarantee everyone – no matter where they live – has access to safe, publicly-available abortion services. He also said that In 2021, women’s rights should not be up for debate.
He alleged that the Conservatives want to roll back abortion access and, anti-choice organizations are actively working to spread misinformation about abortion, putting the health and safety of young people and vulnerable women at risk.
Meanwhile, former prime minister and Progressive Conservative leader Brian Mulroney endorsed Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole on Wednesday evening At a party rally at the Hôtel Chéribourg in Orford, Que., Mulroney praised O’Toole’s leadership of the party, calling him “steady, strong and visionary.”
In Mississauga, former mayor Hazel McCallion criticized Justin Trudeau just after getting off the stage on Tuesday night at a Liberal rally in Brampton, Ont., saying he should not have called an election during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think it’s unfortunate there was an election call during the pandemic, I don’t agree with that,” McCallion said. The government should be concentrating on recovery, and getting people back to work.”