Federal Elections: The More Things Change, The More They Stay the Same

The biggest news of the last week was definitely the federal election – even though not much has changed. A snap electionsnap election: It is called a snap election when elections are called suddenly, or earlier than usual. was called in early August, when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that he wanted the Canadian people to weigh in on(to) weigh in on: (to) give your opinion on sth the decision as to who should lead the country through the ongoing pandemic and a post-pandemic recovery.

Critics say calling an election during a pandemic was not only unnecessary but also a potentially dangerous move.  A lot of Canadians surmise(to) surmise: (to) believe something without having proof that the elections were called because the Liberal Party was hoping to secure a majority government after two years of governing as a minority.

After the votes were counted on Monday night, it became clear that the results looked strikingly similarstrikingly similar: very similar to the ones in 2019. Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party won in 158 ridings and will form another minority government. The Conservative Party lost two seats compared to 2019. NDP leader, Jagmeet Singh, who became popular with his TikTok videos last summer, wasn’t able to translate his social media success into votes. The Green Party was very disappointed with their results, maintaining two seats. Maxime Bernier and the PPC didn’t win any seats while the Bloc Québécois won two new seats bringing them to a total of 33.

Satirical magazine The Beaverton poked fun at(to) poke fun at: (to) make fun of sth./ (to) ridicule sth. the Liberals calling the elections a ‘$650 million “spot the difference” puzzle. Conservative leader Erin O’Toole suggested the elections not only wasted a lot of time and money but also created bigger divisions within Canada. The Globe and Mail published an opinion piece on September 23^rd saying the exact opposite: while there might be smaller differences on a number of topics, there seems to be a consensus on the subjects that matter most which makes Canada more united than ever. Whatever the truth may be, it seems that Canadians want their politicians to get back to work and to work together efficiently to lead them out of the pandemic. 

i.       “Canadians have re-elected a Liberal minority government.” CBC. Sep 20, 2021. 20 mins. Advanced.

ii.       “Canada election: Trudeau stays in power but Liberals fall short of majority.” BBC. Sep 21, 2021. 8 mins. Intermediate.

iii.       “Liberals unveil $650 million “Spot the Difference” puzzle.” The Beaverton. Sep21, 2021. 3 mins. Intermediate.

iv.       “A divided country? Actually, the federal election revealed Canada has never been more united in purpose.” The Globe and Mail. Sep 23, 2021. 15 mins. Intermediate/Advanced.