Topline
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to secure a full term in power, as his Liberal Party was projected to win the Canadian national elections on Monday night, capping off a major turnaround in the party’s fate aided by its leadership’s feud with President Donald Trump over his trade war and threats to annex Canadian territory.
Canadian Prime Minister and Liberal Party Leader Mark Carney speaks to his supporters after winning … More
Key Facts
Canadian public broadcaster CBC called the race for the Liberals, but it is unclear if the party will be able to secure a majority on its own in the country’s House of Commons or if it will need to form a minority government with help from coalition partners.
As of early Tuesday morning, the Liberals have won or are leading in 168 seats, while the Conservatives have secured or are ahead in 144 seats—with 172 needed for an absolute majority.
The vote share gap between the two top parties was narrower, with the Liberals securing 43.5% of the votes while the Conservatives received 41.4%.
Carney, who ran from Ontario’s Nepean electoral district, won his seat with a comfortable 30-point margin.
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What Did Carney Say In His Victory Speech?
Carney delivered a victory speech to supporters in Ottawa early on Tuesday, where he described the U.S. as a “sometimes hostile” neighbor and addressed Trump’s annexation threats. “America wants our land, our resources, our water. These are not idle threats. Trump is trying to break us so America can own us. That will never happen,” Carney said. “Our old relationship with the US, based on steadily increasing integration, is over…We’re over the shock of the American betrayal, but we should never forget the lessons,” he added. The Canadian Prime Minister said he plans to sit down with Trump and discuss the “future economic and strategic relationship between two sovereign nations” and it will be done with the knowledge that “we have many other options to build prosperity for all Canadians.” Carney closed his speech saying: “We are supporting our friends and neighbors in the cross hairs of President Trump. We will win this trade war and build the strongest economy of the G7.”
Who Is Mark Carney?
Carney became the Prime Minister of Canada in March after winning the Liberal Party’s leadership race by a landslide. Carney took over from Justin Trudeau, who announced earlier this year that he was stepping down from the premiership after facing flagging poll numbers and a revolt within his party. Carney is not a career politician and he did not have a seat in Canada’s parliament until his electoral victory in Nepean on Monday. He served as the governor of the Bank of Canada between 2008 and 2013. During this period, Carney helped steer the country’s central bank through the global financial crisis. In 2013, he became the first non-U.K. citizen to helm the Bank of England’s governorship, and played a key role in helping the central bank navigate through the fallout of Brexit. Carney became a British citizen in 2018, but continued to hold his Canadian and his Irish passports. In March, Carney announced he is currently in the process of renouncing both his Irish and U.K. citizenships.
How Did The Liberal Party’s Polling Numbers Shift?
Last year, the Trudeau-led Liberals were racked with turmoil as the party’s leadership urged the Prime Minister to step down after Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland publicly announced her resignation in a letter criticizing the prime minister. Polling numbers in December showed that the Liberal would be handily defeated by the Poilievre-led Conservatives, who enjoyed a massive 25-point lead. However, Trump’s repeated attacks on the Canadian government and threats to annex the country led to shift in polling numbers towards the Liberals, further accelerated by Carney taking over from Trudeau. The Liberals eventually built a polling lead, which surged as high as 12 points earlier this month, before settling at four points a day before elections.
How Did Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre Perform?
Conservative Party leader, Pierre Poilievre, is projected to lose his Parliament seat to Liberal candidate Bruce Fanjoy, in one of the biggest electoral upsets of the night. The Carleton electoral district’s race was called by CBC News early on Tuesday as Poilievre trailed his opponent’s vote tally by more than 4.5 points (nearly 3,800 votes). A few hours before the race for his Parliament seat was called was called, Poilievre conceded the overall election on behalf of his party and congratulated Carney and the Liberals in his speech. The Conservative leader said: “I would like to congratulate Prime Minister Carney on leading this minority government,” although its still not clear if the Liberals will form a minority government or secure a majority. Poilievre added that his party will do its job “to hold the government to account.”
What Did Trump Say Ahead Of The Canadian Elections?
Earlier on Monday, Trump wrote about the Canadian elections on his Truth Social platform, where he restated his push to make Canada the 51st U.S. State. In the post, Trump appeared to suggest that he was on the ballot and wrote: “Elect the man who has the strength and wisdom to cut your taxes in half, increase your military power, for free, to the highest level in the World, have your Car, Steel, Aluminum, Lumber, Energy, and all other businesses, QUADRUPLE in size, WITH ZERO TARIFFS OR TAXES, if Canada becomes the cherished 51st. State of the United States of America.” He then added: “America can no longer subsidize Canada with the Hundreds of Billions of Dollars a year that we have been spending in the past. It makes no sense unless Canada is a State!”
Further Reading
Carney vows to govern for all Canadians after winning election upended by Trump (CBC News)
Mark Carney’s Liberals win rare fourth term with final results still pending (Toronto Star)
