Canada PM Justin Trudeau, Rival Look To Fire Up Supporters Ahead Of Tight Vote

Opinion polls show Trudeau's Liberals neck and neck with the opposition Conservatives led by Erin O'Toole ahead of Monday's vote, suggesting that getting out the vote will be crucial.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday acknowledged the unpopularity of his pandemic election and intensified his calls on progressive voters to back his campaign, with his bid for re-election at risk of being doomed by low turnout.

Opinion polls show Trudeau's Liberals neck and neck with the opposition Conservatives led by Erin O'Toole ahead of Monday's vote, suggesting that getting out the vote will be crucial. Low turnout has historically favored the Conservatives.

Trudeau, at a campaign stop in Windsor, Ontario, on Friday, made a rare concession that a pandemic election was not ideal, but urged supporters to vote despite any misgivings.

"I understand the frustration that some people are feeling. They just want things to get back to normal and an election isn't getting back to normal," he said, as anti-vaccine mandate protesters chanted outside the venue.