Canada’s new prime minister Mark Carney has called a snap election to take place on 28 April, as he seeks to capitalise on a surge of support galvanised by threats from Donald Trump.
The former Bank of England governor, who assumed the premiership a fortnight ago from his Liberal ally Justin Trudeau, now has five weeks to persuade the country to continue backing his party after 10 years in power.
Although the next election was not due until 20 October, the previously under-fire Liberal Party have seen a remarkable resurgence in the polls since January, when Trump began threatening Canada’s economy and sovereignty, and Mr Trudeau announced his resignation.
Announcing the snap poll, Mr Carney said on Sunday: “We are facing the most significant crisis of our lifetimes because of President Trump’s unjustified trade actions and his threats to our sovereignty.
“There is so much more to do to secure Canada. To invest in Canada, to build Canada, to unite Canada. That’s why I’m asking for a strong positive mandate from my fellow Canadians.”
In addition to sparking a trade war with Washington’s northerly ally just days after taking office, Mr Trump has repeatedly insisted that Canada should become the 51st state of America, and on Friday even acknowledged that he had “totally changed” the political dynamic in Canada with his threats.
Polls now suggest the Liberals, who had badly trailed the Conservatives at the start of the year, are now slightly ahead of their rivals – who have sought to portray Mr Carney as an elitist who plans to continue the Trudeau-era policy of high government spending.
Having led the Bank of Canada during the 2008 financial crisis and then the Bank of England during Brexit, Mr Carney is a relatively well-known public figure – but has no previous frontline political or election experience.
In contrast, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is a seasoned politician who has fought seven elections. Having served for years as his party’s go-to attack dog, the 45-year-old has carved a niche as a firebrand populist who says he will put “Canada first”, vowing to defund the country’s public broadcaster and refusing to allow media onboard his campaign buses and planes.
And with a strong performance in predominantly French-speaking Quebec key to any victory, Mr Poilievre speaks flawless French, while Mr Carney recently stumbled at a press conference when asked to respond in French, misunderstanding the question before then responding in English.
Mr Poilievre’s party have also raised questions about how Mr Carney transferred his personal financial assets into a blind trust, and will have been encouraged last week from the prime minister’s bristly response to a reporter who asked about the trust – who Mr Carney accused of engaging in “conflict and ill will”.
But while the Conservatives had sought to make the election about Mr Trudeau, whose popularity declined as food and housing prices rose and immigration surged, Mr Carney is now hopeful that his combative approach to dealing with the White House will help him ride the wave of Canadian nationalism which has surged in response to Mr Trump’s annexation threats.
He said on Sunday: “Our response must be to build a strong economy and a more secure Canada. President Trump claims that Canada isn’t a real country. He wants to break us so America can own us. We will not let that happen.”
Conversely, Mr Poilievre has recently been endorsed by Trump ally Elon Musk, while his own conservative ally – Alberta premier Danielle Smith told far-right outlet Breitbart earlier this month that Mr Poilievre would be “very much in sync” with the “new direction in America”.
Launching his campaign on Sunday, Mr Poilievre said he would be respectful but firm with Mr Trump, and would “insist the president recognises the independence and sovereignty of Canada”, adding: “I will insist he stops tariffing our nation.”
Insisting that he does not respect “the treatment that he has meted out to our country”, Mr Poilievre continued: “I know a lot of people are worried, angry and anxious. And with good reason as a result of the president’s unacceptable threats against our country.
“You are worried about your job and the sovereignty of our nation. And you are angry at the feeling of betrayal that these unacceptable words and tariffs have made us all experience. I share your anger and I share the worry about our future.”
As evidenced by the focus of the two leading candidates’ remarks on Sunday, Laura Stephenson – a politics professor at Canada’s Western University said that Mr Carney’s political inexperience may be of less consequence in the campaign as a result of the Trump factor.
“There’s a different kind of comparison that’s being made right between the leaders and what are they going to be able to do,” said Professor Stephenson. “I have a feeling we’re going to see a little more grace extended than is usually given to politicians during this campaign.”
An online Angus Reid poll of 4,009 people released on Monday put the Liberals on 42 per cent and the Conservatives on 37. An online Leger poll of 1,568 people for the National Post released the same day had the Liberals on 42 per cent with the Conservatives on 39.
The election campaign for 343 seats or districts in Canada’s House of Commons will last 37 days.
While other parties are running, the Liberals and the Conservatives are the only two that have a chance to form a government. The party that commands a majority in Parliament, either alone or with the support of another party, will form the next government and its leader will be prime minister.
Additional reporting by Reuters
