Canada Could Be Heading For An Election Again Before The End Of 2020

Just when you thought 2020 couldn’t get any more hectic, a snap election in Canada could be in the cards.

This week, the federal government suggested they’d be prepared to risk another election over a probe into their pandemic spending and scandals like the WE Charity affair.

While the prime minister says what happens next will all be down to the opposition parties, it seems he’s prepared to go to the polls if necessary.

This comes just weeks after the Trudeau government managed to avoid a no-confidence vote and another possible election.

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Why could there be a snap election?

A snap election is possible thanks to a potential proposal to create a parliamentary committee — one that would investigate the Liberal government’s COVID-19 spending and possible ethics misconducts, including the WE Charity scandal.

This proposal is something that’s backed by the Conservative Party and the Bloc Québécois, but not by the Liberals.

Instead, the PM has proposed a committee of his own, which would look at the Liberals' pandemic spending, but avoid an investigation into any possible ethics scandals.

Trudeau is prepared to have a snap election to circumvent an ethics investigation.

On Tuesday, Government House Leader Pablo Rodriguez confirmed that when the two committees are debated in the House of Commons, the Liberals will consider it to be a confidence vote.

This means that if Trudeau’s proposed committee fails to get the support of the NDP, a snap election will be triggered.

Didn't we just avoid one of those?

Well, yes.

When Trudeau prorogued Parliament back in August, he risked a no-confidence vote when it reconvened on September 23.

On his first day back at work, the PM was required to deliver a throne speech, which required the backing of at least one other party.

While Trudeau’s speech initially failed to impress the other parties, he managed to make good on some promises to NDP leader Jagmeet Singh — therefore securing the NDP’s support.

This means the Liberal Party managed to avoid a possible fall election, but that doesn’t mean they’re out of the woods yet!

What happens now?

While Trudeau is relying on the NDP to back his version of the committee, leader Jagmeet Singh has described the situation as "a farce," "outrageous" and "absurd."

"I will not let the prime minister use this discussion over a committee as an excuse to go into an election," Singh said on Tuesday.

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole has argued that these circumstances are not legitimate grounds for triggering an election, either, and says his party’s committee motion will be updated to reflect this.

MPs will vote on the motion on Wednesday, October 21.

What happens next remains to be seen!