Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hopes a final day of traipsing across Canada will help him to sway voters before Monday’s election.
The Liberal leader started the day in his home city of Montreal, where he urged voters to allow him to finish leading Canada through the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mr Trudeau called the election in August hoping to capitalise on his performance throughout the pandemic and his ability to have Canadians vaccinated.
But despite starting strongly, he stumbled out of the gates, with many Canadians frustrated with his decision to call the election when the threat of a fourth wave of infections loomed.
Mr Trudeau's liberals have been in a virtual dead heat with the Conservative Party throughout the 36-day campaign.
“Where we're standing right now, where all bets are off, the only thing I would say is we'll likely still have a minority government, but the colour of it is anyone's guess,” said Stephanie Chouinard, an associate professor at the Royal Military College and Queen’s University.
Mr Trudeau, who took power in 2015 with a majority government, was re-elected in 2019 with a much reduced minority, winning 155 seats compared to the Conservatives' 119. It takes 170 seats for a majority government.
That appears to be unlikely for either party, but Mr Trudeau and Conservatives leader Erin O’Toole are still vying for votes in key battleground ridings.
Both leaders spent time on Sunday in the suburbs of Toronto. The area, which is known as the 905 after its area code, is considered vital to both parties' successes.
Mr Trudeau, whose Liberals performed well in the 905 in 2019, spent time in the riding of King-Vaughan, just north of Toronto, trying to shore up support for his candidate, Deb Schulte.
At a backyard barbecue, he attacked Mr O’Toole for his inability to convince all Conservative candidates to be vaccinated, and promoted his leadership throughout the pandemic.
“Canada is today at a crossroads at a moment where we have to make a really important choice, not just about what we’re going to do in the coming months to end this pandemic for good, but also how we’re going to stay true to our values and meet the challenges of the future with the same level of ambition and devotion to each other that we showed as Canadians every day through the past 18 months,” Mr Trudeau said.
His message and handling of the pandemic were well received in neighbouring Brampton, where residents gathered to enjoy a late summer day in Chinguacousy Park.
“He gave us confidence and a feeling that things are gonna be OK going through this pandemic,” one woman told The National.
Mr O’Toole, who represents the riding of Durham, which is considered part of the 905, has dragged his party to the centre on social issues and climate change, hoping to erode the Liberals' support.
At the midpoint of the campaign he appeared poised to overtake Mr Trudeau, but his numbers have lagged behind slightly in the waning days of the election, making Monday anyone’s guess.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 217hp at 5,750rpm
Torque: 300Nm at 1,900rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh130,000
On sale: now
Company profile
Name: Thndr
Started: October 2020
Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: pre-seed of $800,000
Funding stage: series A; $20 million
Investors: Tiger Global, Beco Capital, Prosus Ventures, Y Combinator, Global Ventures, Abdul Latif Jameel, Endure Capital, 4DX Ventures, Plus VC, Rabacap and MSA Capital
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The five pillars of Islam
The five new places of worship
Church of South Indian Parish
St Andrew's Church Mussaffah branch
St Andrew's Church Al Ain branch
St John's Baptist Church, Ruwais
Church of the Virgin Mary and St Paul the Apostle, Ruwais
Gender pay parity on track in the UAE
The UAE has a good record on gender pay parity, according to Mercer's Total Remuneration Study.
"In some of the lower levels of jobs women tend to be paid more than men, primarily because men are employed in blue collar jobs and women tend to be employed in white collar jobs which pay better," said Ted Raffoul, career products leader, Mena at Mercer. "I am yet to see a company in the UAE – particularly when you are looking at a blue chip multinationals or some of the bigger local companies – that actively discriminates when it comes to gender on pay."
Mr Raffoul said most gender issues are actually due to the cultural class, as the population is dominated by Asian and Arab cultures where men are generally expected to work and earn whereas women are meant to start a family.
"For that reason, we see a different gender gap. There are less women in senior roles because women tend to focus less on this but that’s not due to any companies having a policy penalising women for any reasons – it’s a cultural thing," he said.
As a result, Mr Raffoul said many companies in the UAE are coming up with benefit package programmes to help working mothers and the career development of women in general.
Company%20profile
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White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
HAJJAN
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Abu%20Bakr%20Shawky%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cbr%3EStarring%3A%20Omar%20Alatawi%2C%20Tulin%20Essam%2C%20Ibrahim%20Al-Hasawi%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Bugatti Chiron Super Sport - the specs:
Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16
Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto
Power: 1,600hp
Torque: 1,600Nm
0-100kph in 2.4seconds
0-200kph in 5.8 seconds
0-300kph in 12.1 seconds
Top speed: 440kph
Price: Dh13,200,000
Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport - the specs:
Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16
Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto
Power: 1,500hp
Torque: 1,600Nm
0-100kph in 2.3 seconds
0-200kph in 5.5 seconds
0-300kph in 11.8 seconds
Top speed: 350kph
Price: Dh13,600,000
