There’s a possibility the federal Liberal party has a shot at political majority if, as expected, a snap election is triggered later this summer, according to pollster Nik Nanos.

“I think the Liberals feel they may have a chance to have a smash and grab majority,” said Nanos, founder of Nanos Research Group, in a broadcast interview. “But don’t underestimate the ability of the front running party to defeat itself and have a misstep.”

Nanos’ comments come as many political analysts, himself included, are predicting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will trigger a snap election some time in August, which would set the stage for a brief campaign ahead of a fall election.

Trudeau has been jet setting all over the country making campaign-style funding announcements, and now opposition parties are starting to prepare, said Nanos.

The timing is in the Liberal party’s favour, as vaccination rates are extremely high in Canada, relative to other countries, which could win the party some political favour, he said.

But that alone, won’t be enough, said Nanos, pointing to a recent poll that indicated the economy was the top policy issue for Canadians ahead of this potential election – even more so than the pandemic itself.

“If you think you can win doing a victory lap on vaccinations, it won’t be enough,” said Nanos. “Canadians want to hear about jobs and the economy, and how we will manage the deficit and pay for the debt accrued battling the pandemic.”