New Delhi, Delhi, India

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday for the first time has said that there could well be an election this year, indicating his government is preparing for a vote he insists he does not want.

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Trudeau's Party (Liberal Party) needs the support of the opposition parties to govern the country as it only controls a minority of seats in the House of Commons. Trudeau's administration can be brought down if the opposition unites against them. 

Despite Trudeau making it clear that his priority is tackling the coronavirus pandemic, he still acknowledged the likelihood that Canadians would be voting this year.

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"Obviously, we are in a minority government, and that could well happen," he told Montreal's CHOU 1450 AM radio station when asked about the chances of a national vote in the coming months.

"Our priority as a government is going to be helping people get through this pandemic and I hope the different opposition parties will help us ... it's not in our interests to have an election, people want us to work together to help them."

According to some opinion polls, Liberals, while ahead of their Conservative rivals, would most likely fall short of winning a majority.

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Liberal insiders told Reuters last year that a snap election was likely at some point in 2021 rather than at the scheduled end of the legislature in 2023.

(Inputs from Reuters)