OTTAWA - Canadians are heading to the polls to cast their ballots following a 40-day election campaign that featured countless promises, numerous personal attacks and enduring uncertainty right up to the finish line.
Polls have officially opened across the country and millions of Canadians are expected to cast their ballots in this country's 43rd federal election, which many experts believe will result in a hung Parliament.
Today is election day! Here is your checklist to vote:
— Elections Canada (@ElectionsCan_E) October 21, 2019
•18 yrs + ✔
•Canadian citizen ✔
•Proof of identity and address ✔
Learn more: https://t.co/HJSqjUQB27 pic.twitter.com/m6m6Td3TYU
Hadrien helped me vote this morning. For all our kids, make your voice heard and vote today! #ChooseForward pic.twitter.com/cZIm9AXDGy
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) October 21, 2019
The Liberals under Justin Trudeau and Conservatives under Andrew Scheer started the election largely neck-and-neck in opinion polls and, despite their best efforts, neither leader seems to have been able to jump ahead.
Federal Election 2019: Who Would Make The Best Prime Minister? #elxn43 #canadavotes2019 #CanadaElection2019
— Darpan Magazine (@darpanmagazine) October 21, 2019
Trudeau voted in his Montreal riding of Papineau on Monday after flying back the night before from British Columbia, where he spent the final day of the campaign and which could prove critical to deciding which party gets to form government.
The Liberal leader, who came to power in 2015 on an inspirational promise of governing differently, suffered an uneven election campaign this time around thanks in part to revelations he wore racist makeup before entering politics.
Just voted, thinking about the importance of today's choice. I did it for my kids & future generations of Canadians who are counting on us to stand together for #ClimateAction. Today, let's act to #ChooseForward. #cdnpoli #elxn43 pic.twitter.com/ipqWNxmWzS
— Catherine McKenna 🇨🇦 (@cathmckenna) October 21, 2019
https://t.co/LYFpWxoNeY #ChooseForward pic.twitter.com/qqwqjTHqQH
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) October 21, 2019
Election day is finally here! #ChooseForward and go vote! Need more info: https://t.co/CCRfCa3RHQ #CanadaElection2019 #Electionday #GOTV pic.twitter.com/XLRSE4WGfd
— Brett Thalmann (@bthalmann) October 21, 2019
The SNC-Lavalin affair also continued to dog Trudeau, as did anger among some progressives over his failure to reform the electoral system and his government's decision to buy the Trans Mountain oil pipeline.
Last week, I met a 103 year old veteran who fought alongside Canadians, Americans, British and French during World War II. His family stopped on the way to vote so he could tell me he was voting for the @liberal_party.
— Harjit Sajjan (@HarjitSajjan) October 21, 2019
If he can make it out to vote, so can you. #ChooseForward pic.twitter.com/RZr6dNK7mg
Scheer was scheduled to cast his ballot later in Regina after also spending Sunday in Vancouver and B.C.'s Lower Mainland in the hopes of securing enough seats to knock off the incumbent Liberals.
Vote today. Vote Conservative. Vote to #GetAhead!🌊
— Conservative Party (@CPC_HQ) October 21, 2019
Find out where to vote here➡️ https://t.co/PELIN3y6OS#cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/iWliFJxXmX
What’s the real cost of the Trudeau-NDP Coalition? We did the math. A Trudeau-NDP coalition will mean:
— Conservative Party (@CPC_HQ) October 21, 2019
❌Higher taxes
❌Higher deficits
❌Fewer good-paying job
It’s the coalition you can’t afford.#cdnpoli #elxn43 pic.twitter.com/q5ltuRQLmx
Like Trudeau, the Conservative leader faced challenges on the campaign trail, where he was seen as underperforming in the first French-language debate and faced pointed questions about his position on abortion and climate change.
The other leaders also sought to portray a Tory government as one that would cut services for Canadians after Scheer promised to balance the budget in five years, and he faced questions about his U.S. citizenship and claims to have been an insurance broker.
Ultimately, once all the ballots are cast and counted, the balance of power could reside with one of the other main parties should neither the Liberals nor Conservatives secure enough seats to win a majority government.
It's easy to vote. It takes just minutes, and you can go with a friend, or even the love of your life – like I did! Gurkiran and I voted in Burnaby South – find out where you vote here: https://t.co/l2z8aNFUQF #elxn43 #ElectionDay #InItForYou pic.twitter.com/KLkPwBTMIC
— Jagmeet Singh (@theJagmeetSingh) October 21, 2019
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, who will spend election night in his B.C. riding of Burnaby South, entered the campaign facing questions about his leadership thanks to lacklustre fundraising, a shortage of candidates and other organizational challenges.
🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 #ElectionDay https://t.co/bggPLVVvll
— Jagmeet Singh (@theJagmeetSingh) October 21, 2019
Jagmeet literally translates to, ”Friend of The World.”
— Gurratan Singh (@GurratanSingh) October 21, 2019
Jag: World
Meet: Friend
It’s no surprise his positive energy has surged across Canada
It’s who he’s been since day 1 😁#SinghSurge #CanadaElection2019 #elxn2019 #cdnpoli
More than a month later, however, Singh is seen to have run a surprisingly strong campaign that has attracted many progressive voters, resulting in a bump in the NDP's polling numbers, even though the party's chances in Quebec remain uncertain.
Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet has overseen a surge in support in la belle province after his party was largely left for dead after abysmal results in 2011 and 2015 followed by years of infighting.
E-Day minus 1 day: such a privilege to live in a democracy such as Canada 🇨🇦 — let us all get out and vote tomorrow — every vote matters! See you at the polls tomorrow #VanGran. #elxn43 🗳
— Jody Wilson-Raybould 王州迪 Vancouver Granville (@Puglaas) October 21, 2019
Until then... pic.twitter.com/dbTX4YlilM
While many Quebecers say sovereignty is not a priority, Blanchet has been able to tap into the same nationalist sentiment that propelled the centre-right Coalition Avenir Quebec to power at the provincial level.
That resurgence has come at the expense of the Liberals, Conservatives and NDP, all of which entered the campaign hoping to win over Quebecers, who have historically played a major role in deciding the makeup of the government in Ottawa.
Breaking: it's election day.
— Green Party Canada (@CanadianGreens) October 21, 2019
Here's what we're fighting for:#Cdnpoli #elxn43 pic.twitter.com/qH2ShqnwI2
Meanwhile, Green Leader Elizabeth May, who will be in her riding on Vancouver Island, is hoping her party can capitalize on its recent success in provincial votes and translate that to more seats in the House of Commons.
And Maxime Bernier, who has spent much of the campaign trying to protect his own seat in Quebec, will find out whether his upstart People's Party of Canada is a movement or a footnote.
I want to thank from the bottom of my heart the tens of thousands of supporters of the @peoplespca who set up our EDAs, worked with our candidates, donated, and helped get our message out on social media.
— Maxime Bernier (@MaximeBernier) October 21, 2019
Nothing we accomplished would have been possible without you.
The first polls will close around 7 p.m. ET in Newfoundland and Labrador, with the last closing in B.C. at 10 p.m.
Elections Canada says roughly 27.4 million people are eligible to vote, and while most voters will cast their ballots today, around 4.7 million took advantage of advance polling last weekend. That marked a 29 per cent increase over 2015.
Voter turnout in the last election stood at 68.5 per cent, which was the highest since 1993.
Planning on taking a selfie at the polls? Remember you can only take a picture once you’re outside the polling station. Don’t forget to use the hashtag #ItsOurVote!
— Elections Canada (@ElectionsCan_E) October 21, 2019
Learn more: https://t.co/aU8RpvyPit pic.twitter.com/Riw8B14iFG
Don’t forget to add #ItsOurVote to your election day tweets today! It’s the official hashtag for the 2019 federal election. #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/lASYu2NXRR
— Elections Canada (@ElectionsCan_E) October 21, 2019
