Got a reply from Ralph Goodale's office.
Dear xxxxxxx - I spoke to IRCC regarding your application received Oct 6, 2018. It is at the Case Processing Centre in Ottawa.
Standard processing time is 6 months. This means 80% of routine applications are completed within that time frame, while 20% take longer.
Eligibility is in process – recommend pass.
Criminality passed.
Security checks have not been initiated. They cannot be expedited and timelines are not available.
Medicals are valid until Sept 2020.
I did my medicals in September 2018. Seems like they've automatically extended it by 1 year.
Does that mean that IRCC expects my file to take much longer to process, hence the extension? Somehow, this does not seem like a good sign for me.