What an early federal election means for Manitobans

WINNIPEG -

Manitobans will join the rest of Canada at the polls in September after Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau triggered an early election Sunday morning.

“The decisions your government makes right now will define the future your kids and grandkids grow up in,” said Trudeau.

There are 14 seats in Manitoba up for grabs in the upcoming election, as it stands now, three are NDP, four are Liberal, and seven are Conservative.

Political Philosophy Expert and Director of the Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics, Neil McArthur said there are very specific issues that will play a big role in the outcome, like the pandemic and the possibility of a fourth wave.

“I think one of the big variables for Manitoba is what our pandemic situation will look like over the course of the campaign, and whether we’re going to get our fourth wave right in the middle of it,” said McArthur.

He noted with a Tory majority in the province, the party could take some of the blame if a fourth wave hits, which could favour the federal Liberals.

He believes the extreme drought going on in parts of Manitoba could have an impact at the polls as well.

“I am curious whether voters start to think a lot more about the environment and start assessing the parties much more in terms of climate change than they have in the past.”

CTV News spoke with some Manitobans about the announcement, and not all are sold on the idea of an early election, and many said they don’t think their vote will change this time around.

Trudeau said Canadians should decide where the country goes from here.

“After making it through 17 months of nothing like we’ve ever experienced, Canadians deserve to choose,”