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OTTAWA — Let the races begin, in all 338 ridings from coast to coast to coast.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will visit Rideau Hall Wednesday morning to launch the 2019 federal election, with voting day set for Oct. 21.

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Informally the campaign has been well underway for months, as the party leaders have been criss-crossing the country to get their messages out and attack their opponents. But Wednesday will mark the formal start of the writ period as Trudeau visits Governor General Julie Payette to start the process to dissolve Parliament.

Photo by REUTERS/Patrick Doyle

The Liberals emerged from the 2015 campaign with 184 seats and 39.5 per cent of the popular vote, giving them a sizeable majority over the Conservatives, who finished with 99 seats and 31.9 per cent of the vote. But this will be a much different election for the Liberals, as they’ll now be defending their own record in government and searching for ways to recapture the energy that vaulted Trudeau to a majority.