On the morning of August 15, after meeting with the Governor General, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the 44th General Election. The election campaign will last 36 days. Canadians will go to the polls on September 20.

On May 25, of the 328 Members of Parliament including Trudeau himself, 327 voted in favour of the following resolution: "That: (a) the House remind the government that a general election was held in October 2019 and sadly note that more than 1.3 million Canadians, including almost 360,000 Quebecers, have been infected with COVID-19 and that nearly 25,000 people have died as a result; and (b) in the opinion of the House, holding an election during a pandemic would be irresponsible, and that it is the responsibility of the government to make every effort to ensure that voters are not called to the polls as long as this pandemic continues."

Canada is still in the pandemic. Canada's Chief Public Health Officer issued a statement on the eve of the election call saying the country has entered a fourth wave of COVID-19 and that hospitalization rates are increasing.

The Prime Minister called the election while a portion of British Columbia is still burning from wildfires that are being rekindled by high winds. Thousands of people have been forced from their homes. Smoke from the fires is causing and worsening respiratory illnesses for people as far away as Alberta. It is estimated that more than 800 British Columbians have died since June due to the historic heat. The prairies are experiencing what some say is the worst drought in their history. Flooding in other parts of the county has forced people from their homes.

It is in these conditions, two years before the end of his four-year term, and with his party unimpeded by the opposition parties in Parliament, that the Prime Minister has chosen to call this general election, despite serious misgivings on the part of Canadians.

Before the Chief Public Health Officer's confirmation that we were still in the pandemic, Trudeau said he needed to call the election to get a mandate to recover the economy post-pandemic. Now he says he needs a mandate from Canadians on how to get out of the pandemic.

This election call demonstrates once again the self-serving nature and opportunism of the ruling Liberals who think they can win a mandate based on what their own polls tell them, that Trudeau is popular and can win a majority. It is a sheer waste of money for the working people who, as a result of the cartel party system of elections and government, have no say whatsoever on choosing candidates or who wins or what is the agenda.

The voice of the workers has no official recognition whatsoever which underscores the urgent need for democratic renewal. Only the Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada (MLPC) has a serious program to renew the political process in a manner which affirms the people's democratic rights and their right to be. By taking up this program, the workers can start to settle scores with manoeuvres which disempower them and impose the will of global private interests that have taken over the governance of the state. This is the only way to advance our struggle for a new direction for the economy so that it serves the needs of the people, which are greater than ever with the crises that are affecting society.

In this election the Workers' Centre of the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist), registered by Elections Canada under the name Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada, is fielding worker politicians to make sure workers have a voice.

Already the monopoly media have been put into action to say that, because the Liberals have forced an election, voters now can have their say and make their choice about what they want Canada to do in the years ahead. It is a farce. It does not matter how much they repeat that the workers have a say by electing one of the cartel parties to form the next government, the fact is that only the workers themselves can represent their stand against the anti-social offensive, privatization and war agenda which are the result of Canada's integration into the U.S. economy and war machine.

The MLPC is putting its homepage and media at the disposal of the working people from coast to coast to coast to speak in their own name about the matters of concern to themselves and society. The problems are many, but the experience of the workers is very rich, especially that of these more than 18 months of the pandemic where they have shown everyone that they are the essential factor in the production of goods and services and in the protection of the health and well-being of all.

Let us put this experience into play by discussing the conditions of real life, what they reveal about the changes that are needed to guarantee rights, security, a life of dignity for all, and by taking actions that advance the struggle we are waging in defence of the rights of all and to make Canada a zone for peace. Let us together renew the political processes in this country by making sure the voice of the workers is heard.