Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, has called a snap election, firing the starting gun on a contest that is widely expected to focus on the strained relationship with the US amid threats to Canada’s economic and political future.
“We are facing the most significant crisis of our lifetime because of President Trump’s unjustified trade actions and his threats to our sovereignty,” he said.
“He wants to break us, so America can own us. We will not let this happen. We’re over the shock of the betrayal, but we can never forget the lessons. We have to look out for ourselves. We have to look out for each other.”
Moments before, Mr Carney met the governor general, Mary Simon, requesting that she dissolves the country’s 44th parliament and calls an election for April 28th. Under federal law, the minimum length of a campaign is 37 days.
‘Pete Hegseth texted me the war plan’: How top US officials shared military strike details in group chat with journalist
Israel reinstating military rule in Gaza would have big implications
Trial of alleged former Red Army Faction terrorist to open in Germany
How Jeff Bezos made peace with Donald Trump
By calling the snap election in search of a “strong, positive mandate”, Mr Carney does not have to face a hostile parliament – a showdown complicated by the fact that he does not have a seat in the House of Commons. Parliament had been due to return on Monday after being prorogued for two months, following former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation announcement in early January.
Mr Carney’s decision comes as the Liberals experience an unprecedented swing in the polls that has now put them ahead of the Conservatives, with some projecting the party has enough support nationally to form a majority government.
Prior to the dissolution of parliament, the incumbent Liberals held 152 seats in the House of Commons. The Conservatives had 120, the Bloc Québécois 33, the New Democratic Party 24, and the Green party two.
Numerous surveys from polling firms suggest Canadians view Mr Carney as more capable than the Conservative leader, Pierre Poilievre, in handling economic turbulence, trade talks and relations with a hostile and unpredictable White House
Donald Trump has figured prominently in Canada’s political narrative, repeatedly threatening to wage economic war on the US’s closest ally and one of its largest trading partners, with the end goal of annexing the country’s northern neighbour.
Those threats, and the prospect of painful tariffs on Canadian goods, have electrified the country, with a groundswell of patriotism, calls to boycott American goods and an “elbows up” rallying cry.
If the Liberals emerge victorious in April, it will be remembered as the largest political comeback in the country’s history – and for the Conservatives, a catastrophic loss of an election result that until recently was certain to fall in their favour.
Mr Poilievre has framed his party’s campaign as a “Canada first” platform.
On Sunday, he told reporters at his campaign launch: “Trump has been very blunt that he wants a weak Canada that he can target … Electing Liberals will weaken our country still.” He added that Canada “will never be an American state; we will always be a sovereign and self-reliant country”. - The Guardian
