The polls have opened, and Canadians will now decide whether to give Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal party a second term.
After winning a historic, come-from-behind victory four years ago, Liberal leader Justin Trudeau, 47, is seeking re-election.
He has kept a number of key promises – from legalising recreational cannabis to bringing in a means-tested child benefit programme – but he also failed to follow through on some major commitments.
A vow to overhaul of Canada’s electoral system was dropped and a pledge to balance the budget this year has been broken.
And while the Canadian public had a longer than usual political honeymoon with Mr Trudeau, he’s since lost some of his lustre.
First, Mr Trudeau was found to have broken federal ethics rules by taking a tropical vacation to the island owned by the Aga Khan, the philanthropist and spiritual leader, in 2016.
Then came a disastrous overseas trip to India.
Taking place against a backdrop of photo-ops showcasing the Trudeau family in elaborate traditional Indian outfits, the trip was light on formal business and ended in controversy when an alleged Canadian Sikh separatist was invited to official events.
Then came a third hit – the SNC-Lavalin affair, a political crisis related to attempts to pressure a former attorney general to cut a deal for a firm facing a corruption trial, which tarnished Mr Trudeau’s personal brand with Canadians.
He has also faced criticism after his government bought a C$4.5bn ($3.4bn; £2.8bn) oil pipeline to help ensure its expansion and for not cancelling a controversial arms deal with Saudi Arabia.
