Canada’s Political Landscape

A snap election has been called, and Canadians are heading to the polls on September the 20th, 2021. This represents the shortest allowable election under federal elections law for what will be the most digital election in Canada.  This will be the first Federal Canadian election that occurs during pandemic conditions in recent memory. Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party of Canada seems to be feeling confident on the back of their handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Conservative Party of Canada under Erin O’Toole is looking to shake things up this election and attract more voters to their tent than the last federal campaign. Jagmeet Singh’s NDP has been supporting the efforts of the Prime Minister during the COVID-19 pandemic, but have acknowledged that they disagree on the fundamental strategies for helping the country heal. 

What does that mean for Canadians? How will the election process be affected by COVID 19 restrictions? These are all important questions that we will endeavour to answer today. 

Delta/4th wave and an Election?

It seems that many Canadians aren’t particularly interested in politics right now. Certainly, this is uncharted territory, as Canadians have never voted Federally during a pandemic situation before. We did see some low voter turnout during provincial elections during the pandemic, meaning that election strategies could be very important as some ridings may be decided by historically low numbers of votes. As we go through this election cycle, it will be interesting to see what strategies the major players undertake. 

Will we see a return to normalcy as the main talking point? Will Prime Minister Trudeau be criticized for calling an election even as Delta cases rise? What does a digital election in Canada mean? Only time will tell. 

COVID-19 and Technology

We’ve seen Canadians embrace the digital world during the pandemic. Between 66%-80% of Canadians spent more time on the internet since the pandemic began, meaning that this trend will likely continue until COVID-19 is no longer an issue in Canada. 

What does this mean for an upcoming federal election? We can expect that an increase in digital advertising, paid media, and social media exposure will all be key elements of the major parties’ campaign strategy. We may even see innovation from candidates across the country as they attempt to reach Canadians who are spending more time on their computers and smartphones than ever before. 

Voting in the COVID Age

Elections Canada has a plan to address an election that occurs while COVID-19 is still an issue in this country. Certainly, social distancing, single-use pencils, and serious cleaning plans are all tools we expect to see deployed during this election. We can also expect an increase in mail-in ballots. These ballots can take longer to count but are less likely to lead to an increased risk of exposure to COVID-19. 

Digital Election in Canada Best Practices

Messaging and branding are going to be very important during this election cycle. With fewer Canadians attending in-person campaigning events, they might only be receiving limited information regarding a candidate’s platform and position on important issues. Because of this, having succinct information available online will be crucial for candidates looking to get their message out in a likely crowded digital space. 

Digital marketing and online advertising has been popular in the Canadian political landscape for a long time and it simply works. 

Parties should be looking now to experienced digital and social media marketing agency for political campaigns organizations with political experience to develop more best practices for this digital election in Canada, set during a pandemic. 

EOK Consults is a leading digital and social media marketing agency for political campaigns specializing in political campaigns and data-driven strategies for organizations and nonprofits. We have a proven track record of launching successful digital political and advocacy campaigns across municipal, provincial and federal levels of the Canadian political spectrum.