The Wuhan coronavirus pandemic has forced many Canadian voters into long lines to vote on election day due to the reduction in the number of polling places, a development which has come as some have noted a broad lack of enthusiasm among voter groups.
Voters in Canada’s federal election on Monday have reported wait times of up to an hour or more at polling places in certain parts of the country as Canadians vote amid continuing Wuhan coronavirus lockdown restrictions.
Canadian newspaper the Toronto Sun reports that nearly 6.8 million people have already voted by mail-in ballot or in advanced polls but notes that the election results may not be known Monday and could be delayed for as many as four days.
“That was the worst voting experience I’ve ever had, I’m sorry but back at the US elections we were boasting about our system, it did not perform today. Over an hour to vote (partner late for work), massive line up, room too small, inefficient process with little urgency,” one Twitter user wrote.
“75 minutes to vote this morning in Toronto Parkdale-High Park. Many reports of fewer polling stations in urban centers. But voters are patiently waiting their turn, in long lines, to cast a ballot. Turnout, down in most provinces post-Covid-19, a real question,” another user said.
Steve Buffery, a columnist at the Toronto Sun newspaper, shared his experiences voting Monday morning saying, “Have to wait extra long to vote because the person in charge of my polling # hasn’t arrived yet. Told that the person is in a cab and should arrive ‘soon’. How conscientious of this person.”
Buffery stated that it took about 45 minutes after polls had officially opened for the polling official to actually get to the polling place and said he was forced, along with others, to wait over an hour.
Derek Fildebrandt, the publisher of the Western Standard newspaper also reported long lines saying, “Got to my polling station just before the doors open at 7:30 am so I can vote first and be on my way. Lineup is out the door and down the sidewalk.”
Over the weekend, Canadian broadcaster CTV noted the lack of enthusiasm among Canadian voters for the pandemic election with pollster David Coletto of Abacus Data noting that Canadians “had no real desire at all to have an election,” in the middle of lockdown.
The broadcaster added that the lack of major enthusiasm for Justin Trudeau’s Liberals and problems faced late in the campaign by the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) meant the likely result was another Liberal minority, a repeat of the last election in 2019.
One of the only parties to see a continuous “sustained momentum” according to CTV, has been the Populist People’s Party of Canada (PPC). Led by former CPC cabinet minister Maxime Bernier, the party has seen large turnouts on the campaign trail and is the only party outright opposed to mandatory coronavirus vaccines and vaccine passports.
Last week, Bernier told Breitbart News that he was confident some of his candidates would win seats on Monday and they would use their platform to force a debate on freedom in the Canadian parliament.
A poll released over the weekend by iPolitics and Mainstreet Research predicts another Liberal Party minority government and believe that Bernier’s PPC will poll at 8.9 per cent but will not win any seats despite polling ahead of the Green Party and the separatist Bloc Quebecois who are both expected to win seats in the House of Commons.