It appears Canadians could be heading to the polls soon to elect a new parliament.
Multiple media reports coming out of Ottawa Thursday said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to visit Governor General Mary Simon this weekend and ask for parliament to be dissolved and an election to be called. September 20 is expected to be the day when voters head to the polls.
Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River Conservative Member of Parliament Gary Vidal said he will continue to focus on performing his duties as an MP until the writ officially drops. Vidal added he is comfortable running on what he has done since being elected in 2019.
“I am proud of my record; I will stand on that record and who the other parties put up to fight the election against me that’s there business, I am just going to go about doing my business,” he said.
When he does get out on the campaign trail Vidal said he expects to hear about a range of issues from constituents, ranging from economic ones to concerns around mental health and housing.
“We have plans to get people working, we’ve heard a lot about some of the mental health challenges coming out of the pandemic, we’ve heard a lot lately about some rural crime challenges and we’ve been advocating on some of that,” he said.
Vidal said problems brought on by the recent drought have also been brought to his attention by constituents.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic Vidal said campaigning in this coming election would be different than past ones. He admitted with some communities dealing with COVID-19 outbreaks it may not be possible to visit everywhere in the riding as some communities may be weary of hosting people from outside.
“Some communities are more comfortable some are less comfortable and we go to these places, we’re respectful,” he said.
Running for the first time as the incumbent, Vidal said this election will also be different as people in communities outside of the Meadow Lake area now know who he is. Vidal added he is optimistic about being able to win more votes in the more northern parts of the riding which have historically not been as friendly to Conservatives.
“I think my record is really clear that I’ve advocated for everyone in the riding whether they voted for me or not,” he said.