New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called a snap election for April 28 on Sunday, emphasizing the need for a strong mandate to confront the threat posed by U.S. President Donald Trump, who, according to Carney, “wants to break us so America can own us.”
Carney’s remarks highlighted the strained relationship between the U.S. and Canada, two long-standing allies and major trade partners, after Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian goods and threatened to annex Canada as the 51st state.
Although the next election was scheduled for October 20, Carney is hoping to capitalize on a significant recovery in his Liberal Party’s poll numbers since January, when Trump began targeting Canada, and former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation.
When Carney assumed office on March 14, he had expressed a willingness to work with Trump, but his tone shifted 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,” Carney stated after the Governor General, Canada’s head of state representative, approved his request for an election.
He added, “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.”
The White House has not yet responded to Carney’s remarks.
Trump delayed a broad 25% tariff on some Canadian goods on March 6, but since then has imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports and threatened additional tariffs on goods like Canadian dairy and lumber set for April 2.
Polling shows that the top concern for Canadians is the potential fallout from Trump’s tariffs. “The polling suggests that the number one concern that Canadians have right now is the potential negative fallout of Donald Trump and the threatened tariffs,” said Nik Nanos, chief data scientist and founder of pollster Nanos Research. Nanos speculated that Carney’s election call could be laying the groundwork for more assertive actions in April.
Carney, a former central banker with no political experience, won the Liberal leadership two weeks ago, convincing party members he was the best person to tackle Trump. Now, with five weeks until the election, Carney has proposed reducing the lowest income tax bracket by one percentage point.
Polls indicate that the Liberals, who have held power since 2015, are slightly ahead of the Conservative opposition, despite trailing at the beginning of the year. Darrell Bricker, CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs, noted, “We moved from an election where people wanted change to an election that’s really much more about leadership.”
The Conservatives, however, have criticized Carney as an elitist who plans to continue high government spending policies from the Trudeau era. They also question his handling of his personal financial assets, accusing him of a lack of transparency in transferring them into a blind trust. Carney responded last week by accusing a reporter of engaging in “conflict and ill will,” a reaction that may provide hope for the Conservatives.
Carney’s ability to perform well in Quebec, the predominantly French-speaking province, will be crucial to his success. At one press conference, Carney struggled with a question in French, initially misunderstanding it before responding in English. By contrast, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is fluent in French and has experience from seven elections.
Poilievre launched his campaign on Sunday, emphasizing policies like tax cuts and increased resource production to make Canada more self-reliant and better prepared to stand up to Trump. He stated, “What we need to do is put Canada first for a change.”
Political analyst Laura Stephenson suggested that Carney’s inexperience might not be as detrimental given the Trump factor. “I have a feeling we’re going to see a little more grace extended than is usually given to politicians during this campaign,” she said.
An Angus Reid poll from last week, surveying 4,009 people, showed the Liberals at 42% public support and the Conservatives at 37%, with a margin of error of 1.5%.
