Trudeau Calls For Parliament To Dissolve, Triggering A Fall Election

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Calls for Parliament to dissolve, triggering a September election.

By Dami Igbinyemi

After weeks of speculation over a pandemic election, Trudeau visited Rideau Hall and asked Governor General Mary Simon to dissolve the 43^rd Parliament. The dissolution of parliament triggers an election scheduled for September 20^th. Dissolution of Parliament officially takes place when the Governor General issues a proclamation on behalf of her Majesty, the Queen under the Great Seal of Canada. The dissolution ends all pending legislation and further committee activities. The Constitution Act of 1982 states that the House of Commons must be dissolved within five years.

The dissolution of parliament takes place in a specific order: The Prime Minister visits the Governor General at Rideau Hall and submits an instrument of advice to them, recommending dissolution. The Governor General (GG) then signs the instrument indicating their approval.

The GG then signs a proclamation as well as the minutes of a meeting held by the Privy Council. This council authorizes the issue of fixing the polling date.

The GG signs the proclamation in the name of the Queen, the final step for the summoning of a new Parliament.

A general election usually takes place on the third Monday in October, four years after the previous polls. Calling for an early election, however, is always a gamble. In anticipation of the election, a lot of promises and actions have been taken such as the national childcare, early learning systems, and several funding announcements. These campaigns will span over the course of 36 days. A party needs to win 170 seats for a majority government.

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