Trudeau Wins 3rd Term But Without A Majority – Free PDF Download

What has happened?

• Voting in Canada’s parliamentary election — held two years ahead of schedule — ended on Monday.
• Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party won a neck-and-neck contest with his rival Erin
• O’Toole’s Conservative Party.

• Trudeau, who has been the prime minister of Canada since 2015 and is seeking a third term, made the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic the focal point of his campaign.
• On the other hand, the Opposition, especially O’Toole, pitched the election as a referendum on Trudeau’s “selfish” call for polls in the midst of rising Covid-19 cases.

• If no party reaches a majority, the incumbent prime minister gets the first shot at forming a new government by cobbling up a coalition.

Why was the election held 2 years ahead?

• In the 2019 election, the Liberal Party failed to win a majority in Parliament, bagging 155 seats.
• Justin Trudeau had to depend on other parties to govern and pass legislation.
• Opinion polls in August showed him far ahead of his rivals on the back of effective pandemic management.
• Canada has one of the world’s highest vaccination rates.
• Buoyed by the opinion poll results, Trudeau called for snap polls in the hope of getting a parliamentary majority.
• During the poll campaign, Trudeau asserted that only a majority Liberal Party government could beat Covid-19 and set a path to recovery.
• However, since he announced the election on August 15, Trudeau’s approval ratings have fallen.
• The Covid-19 issue could also be Trudeau’s undoing as the prime minister failed to explain why an election needed to happen now when a fourth wave was knocking on the country’s doors.
• The healthcare system of the western province of Alberta has been overwhelmed in recent weeks due to an increase in Covid-19 cases.
• Several restrictions were imposed during the election campaign.

Stakes for India?

• This time, as many as 49 Indian-origin candidates were in the fray in the election, including Cabinet ministers Harjit S Sajjan, Bardish Chagger and Anita Anand.
• In the 2019 election, 20 Indo-Canadians were elected as MPs.
• Indo-Canadians have normally backed the Liberal Party in elections.
• India is the largest source of immigrants and international students for Canada.
• Through its Express Entry programme, the Trudeau administration has expanded immigration into Canada since 2015.
• According to the 2020 Annual Report on Immigration, Indian immigrants accounted for one-fourth of the total permanent residencies granted by Canada in 2019.
• The number of Indians who became permanent residents in Canada jumped from 39,340 in 2016 to 85,593 in 2019.

Relations with India

• However, ties between India and Canada have soured recently after Trudeau voiced concerns over the ongoing farmer protests in India against the contentious three farm bills.
• Trudeau said the situation was “concerning” and his country would “be there to defend the rights of peaceful protest”.
• India, however, rejected the comments as unwarranted.
• In February, Trudeau appeared to play down the issue and praised the government for holding dialogue with the agitating farmers.

Q) Which of the following is correct regarding Canadian Shield?

1. It covers over half of Canada.
2. It is on the western side.

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 & 2
4. None of the above

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