Canada elections: Few things that you need to know about the campaign

For the second time in two years, Canadians are voting in a federal election. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau launched the campaign in mid-August, two years ahead of schedule as he seeks a third term in office. The campaign was a five-week sprint as all the party leaders made their pitches to voters.
Here are a fewthings you need to know about the campaign.

Why an election at this stage?
During the short campaign, Mr. Trudeau argued that only a majority Liberal government can beat the coronavirus and set a path to recovery. However, the other parties have supported his pandemic response. The Liberals’ standing rose in the polls, and Mr. Trudeau’s personal approval ratings soared.
As per the political analysts, he called the election to take advantage of that popularity. However, this idea seems to have backfired. Since he called the election, Mr. Trudeau’s poll numbers, and his party’s, have fallen.

Tough competition between two frontrunners
New Conservative leader Erin O'Toole is running in his first federal campaign at the helm of the center-right party. He begins the race as an unknown to many Canadians. However, his pitch has helped him gain traction.
From early September the two parties have been locked in a statistical tie for first place, each at about 30 percent in national polls. This indicates that another minority government is likely.

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COVID-19 affecting the elections
Canada has one of the world’s highest vaccination rates. However, in some areas, cases have surged due to the delta variant, making the hospitals close to their capacity.
While Mr. Trudeau supports vaccine mandates for travel and for federal workers, as well as vaccine passports, Mr. O'Toole opposes them.

Various other issues that have surfaced
Issues like climate change, gun control, economic impact due to the pandemic, also play a major part.
Canada has recovered nearly all the jobs lost by the pandemic. However, Mr. Trudeau’s pandemic spending on vaccines and economic support has led to massive debts. After criticising this, Mr. O’Toole unveiled similar spending plans.
Also, he promised to balance the budget within 10 years, a time frame that most economists say is too distant to be credible.