Trudeau calls snap election

OTTAWA — On Sunday, August 15, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asked Governor General Mary Simon to dissolve Parliament and trigger an election now scheduled for September 20.

The campaign will last for 36 days, which is the minimum allowed by law.

Federal opposition leaders have argued against this early election, with Canada’s next election not due until October, 2023.

On a national stage, the race will feature leaders Trudeau (Liberal), Erin O’Toole (Conservative) and Jagmeet Singh (NDP) on the main stage with Bloc leader Yves-Francois Blanchet and Green Party leader Annamie Paul rounding out the party hopes.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau waves to the crowd in Leamington on Canada Day 2018.

SUN photo

Locally, Dave Epp (Conservative) is the incumbent in Chatham-Kent-Leamington and Chris Lewis (Conservative) being the incumbent in the riding of Essex.

Greg Hetherington was recently acclaimed as the Liberal candidate for Chatham-Kent Leamington, while Liz Vallee is the People’s Party of Canada (PPC) candidate. Dan Gelinas is the NDP choice.

In Essex, Tracey Ramsey is running for the NDP while Beth Charron-Rowberry will represent the PPC.