Canada’s Trudeau to officially launch campaign for October 21 election on Wednesday

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will formally launch the campaign for an Oct. 21 national election on Wednesday, according to a statement, setting up what opinion polls now indicate will be a tight race.

Trudeau will visit the Ottawa residence of Governor General Julie Payette, the acting head of state, to kick off the race on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. ET (1400 GMT), the prime minister’s office said on Tuesday.

Under Canada’s fixed-date election law, federal votes must be held every four years. There had been speculation Trudeau would call the election as early as this past Sunday or as late as Sunday, Sept. 15, the latest day he could have made the move.

Polls show Trudeau’s Liberals are only just ahead of the official opposition Conservatives and could lose their majority in the House of Commons, leaving him in a weakened position.