MONTRÉAL, Québec (CU)_Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been urged to not call a federal election while the COVID-19 pandemic rages across the country. A House of Commons committee, with the support of liberal members, issued a recommendation calling on the PM to ensure there will be no election during the pandemic, unless the minority Liberal government is defeated on a confidence vote.
On the other hand, although the committee did not call on the opposition parties to refrain from triggering an election by voting non-confidence in the government, however, New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh vowed that his party would not take such measures amidst the pandemic.
While the Prime Minister himself has repeatedly insisted that he has no interest in forcing an election while the country is battling against COVID-19, nevertheless, opposition parties remain suspicious.
“Unfortunately, the Liberal government has already indicated their desire to recklessly send Canadians to the polls at whatever time they deem to be the most advantageous for the prime minister,” the Conservatives said.
Therefore, they expressed their gratitude towards Liberal committee members for taking “a stand against the whims of the prime minister”, who they say has been “eagerly” pressing towards an election.
Meanwhile, in their own supplementary report, New Democrats said that an election amidst a pandemic would “undermine the health of our democracy”.
Referring to the current delays experienced during the Newfoundland and Labrador’s election owing to the pandemic, the party noted that these “delays, confusion and unforeseen barriers in voting” undermine the public’s confidence in the outcome of an election, adding that it could lead to the crisis similar to that which provoked the riot at the US Capitol on January 6.
“This raises the spectre of a government whose political legitimacy is openly challenged,” the NDP committee members said.
