Justin Trudeau calls a snap election in Canada

IN 1972 PIERRE TRUDEAU, Canada’s Liberal prime minister, lost his parliamentary majority in an election and found himself in charge of a minority government. Two years later he went to the country again, regained his majority and remained in office (with a brief interruption) for another decade. His son Justin (pictured), Canada’s prime minister since 2015, now hopes for a similar triumph. On August 15th he called a snap election, to be held on September 20th, with the aim of regaining the Liberal majority he lost nearly two years ago. He may hope to exceed his father’s 15 years in office. After 17 months of pandemic, he said when he asked the governor-general to dissolve Parliament, “we're all wondering what the next 17 months, not to mention the next 17 years, will hold.”