What was the 2021 federal election?
Answer
The federal election held on September 20, 2021, in which Justin Trudeau's Liberals won a third consecutive term but lost the popular vote to the Conservatives, producing a Liberal minority of 160 seats.
Explanation
The 2021 federal election was held on Monday, September 20, 2021, the 44th general federal election in Canadian history. The election produced a Liberal minority government led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (his third consecutive election victory, though his second minority government). The Liberals won 160 of 338 seats, the Conservatives won 119 seats, the Bloc Québécois won 32 seats, the NDP won 25 seats, and the Green Party won 2 seats.
Trudeau called the election on August 15, 2021, ending the 43rd Parliament early after about 22 months. The minority Liberal government had been managing the COVID-19 pandemic and Trudeau hoped to convert his pandemic-management performance into a majority. The 36-day campaign featured a controversial choice (calling an election during the pandemic), the COVID-19 fourth wave, Afghan refugee resettlement (after the Taliban took Kabul on August 15, 2021), and the federal vaccine mandate for federal public servants.
Notable results: the Liberals lost the popular vote (32.6 per cent to the Conservatives' 33.7 per cent), but won more seats due to the geographic distribution of votes (Conservative votes heavily concentrated in Alberta and Saskatchewan). The People's Party of Canada (led by Maxime Bernier) attracted about 5 per cent of the national vote despite winning no seats, drawing votes mostly from disaffected Conservatives. The NDP rebounded modestly under Jagmeet Singh, gaining 1 seat from 2019. The Greens fell from 3 seats to 2 (with leader Annamie Paul failing to win a seat in Toronto Centre).
Trudeau formed a minority government supported by an unprecedented confidence-and-supply agreement with the NDP signed on March 22, 2022 (the Supply and Confidence Agreement), which committed the NDP to support the government on confidence votes until June 2025 in exchange for federal action on the NDP's priorities (national dental care, national pharmacare, anti-strikebreaker legislation, and other measures). The Agreement ended in September 2024 when NDP leader Jagmeet Singh withdrew NDP support, citing concerns about the federal government's response to the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion. Voter turnout was about 62.6 per cent, the lowest in a competitive federal election since 1898.
Why this matters for your test
The 2021 federal election was the Liberals' third win and shaped the 44th Parliament. Recognising the September 20, 2021 vote and the resulting Liberal minority gives candidates two specific anchors.
Source: Elections Canada; Government of Canada
