Polls opened in Canada, Trudeau's fate to be decided by midnight

Election day officially kicks off in Canada as voters elect the country's next parliament after a brief campaign that saw Prime Minister Justin Trudea and his Liberals in a neck-and-neck battle against the opposition Conservative Party.

The first polls opened in Newfoundland, off the east coast of Canada, at 8:30 a.m. local time (11:00 GMT) on Monday. More than 27 million people are eligible to vote, according to the Canadian Elections Administration.

A day earlier, Trudeau and Conservative leader Erin O'Toole had made their final stand for Canadians.

“Canada is at a crossroads. We are now getting the right direction to choose our country, move on — or let the Conservatives take us back," Trudeau said during a rally in Montreal.

Speaking of Conservative Party volunteers Sunday in Markham, Ontario, just north of Toronto, O'Toole returned to Trudeau, accusing the Liberal leader of "calling for a $ 600 million election instead of focusing on people's health" focus ".

"So tomorrow we can vote for better, tomorrow we can make sure we do not reward Mr Trudeau for a $ 600m election," O'Toole said.

The Canadian election campaign was dominated by concerns about COVID-19 and mandatory vaccinations, investment in health and childcare, economic recovery plans and housing, among other key topics.

Trudeau called the vote in mid-August, two years ahead of schedule. While experts said the Liberal leader called the election in hopes that his government would give the party's coronavirus treatment a majority, Trudeau faced angry protests along the campaign trail and many voters criticized him for voting during a to call the fourth wave of the pandemic.