On Monday September 20, 2021, Canadians across the country headed to the poles for the 44th general election. While there remain several tight races and mail-in ballots that must still be counted, it is clear that Canadians have elected another Liberal minority government. The seat count at present, does not look much different than when the election was called in early August, prompting more commentary on the necessity of an election during the fourth wave of the pandemic.  
Many Canadians reported long lines at polling stations, and a lack of accommodations amid a short election campaign that saw dramatic reductions in the number polling stations in ridings across the country. In particular, indigenous communities expressed their frustration at a lack of polling stations on reservations.  

Although the Liberals will continue to govern, they must continue to work with other parties to pass legislation, but perhaps more importantly, they must also work to address the deepening divisions within the country as regional divides continue to deepen and varying approaches to pandemic response continue to divide Canadians.   

What Does This Mean for Credit Unions?

Our sector has been working with the Liberal government since 2015, to increase understanding and appreciation of the importance of our sector.  With the election of another Liberal minority government, the traction we have built over many years will continue.  That said, there are many new MPs to introduce to the sector and CCUA will be performing outreach to ensure that every MP has an introduction to credit unions and the important work we do in our local communities.  

CCUA is also planning to host an event for legislators early in the new session of parliament and will also be examining ways to continue to deepen our relationships within the public service.  

As multi-partisan initiatives will continue to be of particular importance, CCUA will be focused on renewing the All-Party Credit Union Caucus and encouraging MPs to participate. A first meeting of the Caucus will be held shortly after parliament resumes.  

As is customary following an election, there will be a Cabinet shuffle and renewed mandate letters issued. CCUA is poised to perform early outreach to new ministers with portfolios of importance to the sector.  

Many consultations are in-process or are imminent and we expect the government to continue to pursue the issues on its agenda prior to the election, while also focusing energy on fulfilling its platform commitments, especially those which intersect with the NDPs interests. 

With a surge in COVID cases going into the fall, management of the pandemic and recovery efforts will continue to be at the forefront along with issues that dominated the campaign including affordability, housing, climate and indigenous issues. 

In light of the election, and with input from LRAC, CCUA will be reviewing the issues we will pursue into 2022 and beyond.  

CCUA will continue to support credit unions with materials and resources to assist you in meeting with your local MPs via our Hike the Hill at Home program and template letters.  

How Each of the Parties Faired

Coverage of the results ran late into the evening yesterday, with the Prime Minister addressing his supporters around 12:30 AM.  Although the Liberals had been looking for a clear majority, Trudeau characterized the results “clear direction.” It remains to be seen whom the Liberals will co-operate with to maintain the confidence of the House, but it is likely that the Liberals and NDP will co-operate and proceed vote by vote, rather than entering a formal coalition.  

Conservative leader Erin O’Toole had hoped for better during what was a tight race, with polls showing the Conservatives and Liberals neck and neck in terms of share of the popular vote. Although the Conservatives won the popular vote, they were not as efficient as the Liberals and struggled to pick up seats in the battleground suburbs around Toronto. Ridings they did pick up mainly came from rural areas, particularly in Atlantic Canada. It remains to be seen whether O’Toole has performed well enough to keep his job as leader but in his speech to supporters, he made it clear he intends to continue on as leader of the Conservative Party and to continue to stick to a moderate message while seeking to engage ethnic and religious communities in the hopes of expanding the party.  

The New Democrats seem to have finished slightly ahead of their 2019 showing, but they have certainly gained more influence. Singh has suggested that measures to tax the rich would be a priority in another minority government and as a potential power broker in a minority government, we can expect parts of the NDP agenda to be included in Liberal legislation.  

The Green Party struggled prior to the election and the results certainly display that. Leader Annamie Paul appears set to finish a distant fourth in her riding of Toronto Centre, where she spent most of her time during the campaign. The silver lining for the Green Party was the election of a Green candidate in the Ontario riding of Kitchener Centre. It remains to be seen whether Paul will continue on as leader given the internal party challenges, she faced prior to the election.  Of Interest In a blow to the Liberals, 3 female experienced Cabinet ministers struggled to hold their seats. Maryam Monsef, the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development was defeated by the Conservative candidate in the Ontario riding of Peterborough-Kawartha. Bernadette Jordan, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, was defeated by a Conservative candidate in the Nova Scotia riding of South Shore – St. Margarets. Additionally, in a race that is still too close to call, Deb Schulte the Minister of Seniors is trailing in her Ontario riding of King-Vaughn. It remains to be seen how these defeats will affect the Liberal’s gender-equitable Cabinet choices going forward. 

Despite these losses, the Liberals picked up a seat in Alberta with the election of former Calgary city counsellor, George Chahal, in Calgary Skyview. This is the lone Liberal seat in the province, albeit an improvement from 2019, when the entire province was blue and therefore, he is likely to get a seat in Cabinet as the government continues to grapple with western alienation.   
Despite having some momentum through the campaign, perhaps spurred by pandemic measures, the People’s Party of Canada failed to secure any seats. It remains to be seen what will become of the party after failing to win any seats in two consecutive elections.  Although the momentum seen by the People’s Party of Canada failed to win them any seats, they received 5 percent of the popular vote across Canada, depleting support for the Conservatives in many ridings, costing them as many as 24 seats across the country.