FILE PHOTO: Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks after Mary Simon is sworn in as the first indigenous Governor General during a ceremony in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada July 26, 2021. REUTERS/Patrick Doyle/File Photo
August 15, 2021
OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday visited Governor General Mary Simon to ask her to dissolve Parliament and trigger a federal election next month, two years ahead of schedule.
Trudeau waved as he walked up with his family to the front entrance of Rideau Hall, the mansion in Ottawa that serves as Simon’s residence. Simon is the representative of Queen Elizabeth, Canada’s head of state.
Trudeau is due to address reporters after the meeting. Reuters reported https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canada-pm-trudeau-is-planning-call-snap-election-sept-20-sources-2021-08-12 on Thursday that Trudeau is seeking an election on Sept 20.
Although the current Parliament’s four-year term does not expire until October 2023, Trudeau is betting that high COVID-19 vaccination rates and a post-pandemic economic rebound will help him prolong and strengthen his grip on power.
(Reporting by David Ljunggren and Steve Scherer; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
