The latest developments on the first day of the 2021 federal election campaign

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This article was published 15/08/2021 (1533 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA – The latest developments from the first day of the 2021 election campaign (all times eastern):

4:45 p.m.

A Conservative party spokesman confirms Alberta MP David Yurdiga will not seek re-election due to medical reasons.

It comes after reports Yurdiga released a statement calling the federal government’s plan to mandate civil servants to get vaccinated against COVID-19 a “tyrannical idea.”

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau referred to his remarks today after calling the election, saying holding a vote is the answer to concerns his government’s pandemic response is tyranny.

Conservative party spokesman Cory Hann says Yurdiga informed the party Saturday he wouldn’t be running again because of medical reasons and thanked him for his time in office.

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3:20 p.m.

People’s Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier says his party is the only one that can do politics differently despite a showing in the 2019 election that saw him lose his Quebec seat.

Bernier launched his campaign in Ottawa by attacking the Trudeau Liberals for having what he described as a disastrous response to the COVID-19 pandemic and then went after Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole, saying he faked his “true blue” credentials.

He also turned his ire to the NDP’s Jagmeet Singh for praising Cuban communist leader Fidel Castro in a tweet after his death in 2016.

He railed against the Liberal government’s decision to make COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for federal civil servants and federally regulated transportation sectors, saying he believes in freedom of choice.

Bernier also expressed confidence that his party has at least four per cent of national support, which is needed if he hopes to secure a spot on stage for debates with other federal leaders.

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2 p.m.

Green Party of Canada Leader Annamie Paul began her campaign in Toronto saying she doesn’t believe the country should be in a federal election.

Among the reasons she cited were heat and wildfires raging in British Columbia and historic drought across the Prairies. She also raised the fall of Kabul, where Canadians served in Afghanistan.

Paul says many people in Canada are getting to know her and introduced herself as a mother, the daughter of an immigrant as well as a wife, sister and lawyer.

The Green leader says while the party is best known for its environmental policies, it’s received attention for its social policies pitched during the pandemic, like a guaranteed livable income and decriminalization to deal with the opioid crisis.

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12:55 p.m.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has launched his campaign in Montreal, criticizing Justin Trudeau’s early election call as “selfish.”

Singh says he’ll fight for working people to make the ultrarich and big corporations pay their fair share and to build a recovery from the pandemic that works for everyone.

He says people across Canada are facing bigger challenges than before and it’s getting harder to find a job that can support one’s family, the climate is in crisis, the housing market is out of reach and there is a growing need for better seniors’ care and mental health supports.

Singh says the Liberal leader’s decision to call an election two years early, in a pandemic, shows that he doesn’t want to follow through on his promises and Canadians will pay the price.

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12:30 p.m.

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet says Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau is acting out of personal ambition by calling an early election.

Blanchet kicked off his campaign with a news conference in downtown Montreal and is set to participate in the city’s Pride parade later today.

He says triggering this election in a pandemic which never ceases to end is very irresponsible.

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12:05 p.m.

Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole says Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau is risking the progress that Canada has made on the COVID-19 pandemic by calling an early election.

O’Toole says Canadians can finally see their friends and neighbours again, and Trudeau shouldn’t risk all their hard work for “political gains.”

He says Trudeau’s government has left too many Canadians struggling to pay the bills or cover the costs of housing, food and heating, and yet the Liberal leader is asking them to reward his party with another four years.

O’Toole says the Conservatives’ recovery plan will ensure the economy is firing on all cylinders and get Canada’s finances under control, while securing a million new jobs and ensuring more Canadian-made medical supplies.

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11:20 a.m.

Gov. Gen. Mary Simon has agreed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s request to dissolve Parliament, triggering an election campaign.

Canadians are set to go to the polls on Sept. 20.

Trudeau explained why he’s launching an election, saying Canada is in a pivotal and consequential moment and Canadians deserve a say on what the next steps should be.

He says this question should be asked of other federal party leaders, who have argued an election during a pandemic is unnecessary and reckless.

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10:20 a.m.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is meeting with Gov. Gen. Mary Simon, a discussion that is expected to set the gears in motion for a federal election.

He arrived on the grounds of Rideau Hall accompanied by his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, and their three children.

They entered Simon’s official residence, where Trudeau is expected to ask her to dissolve Parliament and call a vote for Sept. 20.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 15, 2021.