Canada votes in pandemic election that could cost Trudeau

Canadians voted on Monday in a tight pandemic election that threatens to knock Prime Minister Justin Trudeau from power. But the opposition has been relentless in accusing him of calling an unnecessary early vote during the pandemic — two years before the deadline — for his own personal ambition Polls indicate Mr. Trudeau’s Liberal Party is in a tight race with the rival Conservatives: It will likely win the most seats in Parliament, but still fail to get a majority, forcing it to rely on an opposition party to pass legislation. Mr. O’Toole advertised himself a year ago as a “true-blue conservative.” He became Conservative Party leader with a pledge to “take back Canada,” but immediately started working to push the party toward the political center. “We will know on Tuesday morning whether the Erin O’Toole version of the Conservative Party is connecting with voters, but if there is any truth to the polls, it’s something that I don’t think is connecting in numbers that we have connected with in the past, including in the last election,” Mr. Byrne said. Polls suggest as many as 5% to 10% support for Maxime Bernier and the People’s Party of Canada — potentially bleeding support from Mr. O’Toole’s Conservatives and helping the Liberals retain power.