WHAT’S THE STORY?

CANADIANS went to the polls yesterday in a general election campaign that was beset by scandal, controversy and nastiness.

Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party was projected to win the most seats in the 338-seat Parliament, fending off competition from his Conservative rival Andrew Scheer. However, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation said it would be a minority government, forced to rely on an opposition party to stay in power.

WHY HAS THE SHINE WORN OFF CANADA’S GOLDEN BOY?

TRUDEAU led the Liberal Party to victory during Canada’s 2015 election, ousting the Conservative government that had held power for nearly a decade.

Trudeau, a charismatic figure, who promised “sunny ways” and “positive politics”, was known for his liberal political agenda.

His administration introduced Canada’s first gender-balanced cabinet in 2015, welcomed refugees into the country, instituted a carbon tax and apologised to the First Nations of Canada for the country’s history of indigenous abuse.

He became known as Canada’s golden boy Trudeau’s image was tarnished when photographs of him wearing “black face” surfaced in the press.

The pictures were taken on three separate occasions, two in the 1990s when Trudeau was a student, and in 2001, when the prime minister is pictured wearing dark makeup and a turban.

Asked how many times in total he had dressed up in black face, Trudeau dodged the question, leading to speculation that there could be more pictures yet to emerge.

“The fact of the matter is that I’ve always – and you’ll know this – been more enthusiastic about costumes than is sometimes appropriate,” he said.

There was a boost for Trudeau over the weekend, when former US president Barack Obama tweeted his support.

READ MORE: Fall of the golden boy: what went wrong for Justin Trudeau?

The National: Barack Obama

“I was proud to work with Justin Trudeau as president. He’s a hard-working, effective leader who takes on big issues like climate change,” Obama tweeted.

However, Trudeau’s Liberal Party could be facing a historic defeat. If the Conservatives win, it would be the first time in 84 years that a single-term Canadian Prime Minister in a majority government was voted out of office.

HIS RIVAL?

SCHEER is a low-tax advocate and social conservative, promising voters stable government.

His message to Canadians during the campaign has been simple, you can’t trust the current prime minister.

“Mr Trudeau, you are a phony and fraud and you do not deserve to govern this country,” Scheer said during an early debate between the two.

Unfortunately for Scheer, it turned out he’d been a little evasive with the truth too.

It was only during this campaign that Scheer told voters he had dual US and Canadian citizenship.

He has since promised to rescind his American citizenship.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF THERE IS NO MAJORITY?

POLLS show that the Canadian electorate don’t favour either party. There, has, however, been a surge in support for other parties in recent surveys.

In the event of a minority government, those smaller parties could be poised to swing the balance of power in Canada.

Parties like the Bloc Québécois, under the leadership of Yves-Francois Blanchet, who support Quebec independence from Canada, could be set to double its numbers in parliament.

The National: Dark horse: Quebec pro-independence leader Francois BlanchetDark horse: Quebec pro-independence leader Francois Blanchet

At the beginning of the campaign, Blanchet was aiming for 20 seats. But today he could take as many as 30-40.

On Saturday, he said it could now be time for the province to “once again consider giving itself all the attributes of sovereignty”.

Though he later made clear that independence was not a priority for his party.

“Even if I do personally believe — and that’s a surprise for nobody — that one day, at a time of their choice and in a manner of their own choosing, Quebecers might consider again giving themselves a country, in the meantime, I understand that this is not our mandate.”

WHAT ARE THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE OUTCOME?

THE New Democratic Party (NDP) led by Jagmeet Singh has gained traction during the election, with disenfranchised Liberals flocking to his calls for tougher action on climate change and a government-funded drug program for all.

Polls suggest the NDP could gain more than 30 seats in the election.

The Green Party led by Elizabeth May could also play a significant role if the election fails to reach a majority decision.