Jessica Murphy
BBC News, Montreal, Québec

Image source, Getty Images

There has been some queuing for voters in Canada today, with staff shortages and pandemic measures slowing down the process to cast ballots.

And not even the prime minister himself could cut in line - although with plenty of media watching as he showed up to cast his ballot in his Montreal riding (constituency) of Papineau, it was likely for the best that he didn’t.

Trudeau was accompanied by his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, and his children, and spent the best part of an hour at the polling station at a community centre in the city's Parc Extension neighbourhood.

While he waited in line - surrounded by both the media and his protective detail - an older woman called out to him that she was "very happy to see you - I’ll vote for you only", and he thanked her.

Outside the polling station was also Harpreet, who moved to Canada from India just over three years ago.

He lives just around the block from the community centre and stopped by to catch a glimpse of the prime minister. He can’t vote in this election but hopes to have his citizenship by the time the next one rolls around.

The Liberal leader was also met by protesters - not the anti-vaccine ones that dogged him on the campaign, but local housing activists.

"We were here to disrupt Mr Trudeau's arrival at the polling station to demonstrate our opposition to some of his housing policies," Amy Darwish, with the Comité d'action de Parc Extension, told me.

She said that the Liberal platform didn't do enough to address social and affordable housing, which she said was a growing concern in Trudeau's riding, as rents have gone up amid local development.

We'll be bringing you results all night as the polls close across Canada and we hear from the party leaders.

Our correspondents are on the ground at the campaigns' headquarters, and you'll also hear from voters around Canada on what's at stake in this historic election - and what they feel as results come in.

Speaking of - we expect the first slew of results for eastern Canada to come at 21:30EST. The first polls to close will be in Newfoundland, in a little over an hour.

Stay tuned.

Trudeau’s Liberal Party is hoping for a majority in Canada’s parliament, where it held 155 seats prior to dissolution. To gain a majority, the Liberals will need 170 seats.

Here’s a look at what Canada’s parliament looked like when the prime minister called the snap election in mid-August and launched the five-week campaign:

Image source, N/A

For the second time in two years, Canadians are voting in a federal election.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau launched the campaign in August - two years ahead of schedule - as he seeks a third term in office.

Polling data shows a tight race between Trudeau’s Liberal Party and Erin O’Toole’s Conservative Party, with both parties' support standing at approximately 30%.

Trudeau and the Liberals are also hoping for a majority in the House of Commons. Since the 2019 election, Trudeau has had to earn support from opposition parties to pass legislation.

Monday’s election comes amid the Covid-19 pandemic, which has become a significant political issue. Trudeau is in favour of vaccine mandates, while O’Toole has said he favours testing to control the pandemic.