Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Sunday called for early elections on April 28, pledging to confront U.S. President Donald Trump’s push to annex Canada.
Carney, a former central banker, was selected by Canada’s centrist Liberal Party to replace Justin Trudeau, but he has yet to face the country’s broader electorate.
He moved parliamentary elections up from October, clarifying that Trump’s trade policies and sovereignty threats would define his campaign.
"I’ve just requested that the governor general dissolve Parliament and call an election for April 28. She has agreed," Carney said in a speech, referring to King Charles III’s representative in Canada.
Despite a decade in power, the Liberal government has struggled with low approval ratings. But Carney is hoping a surge of patriotism will propel his party to a new majority.
"I’m asking Canadians for a strong, positive mandate to deal with President Trump,” Carney said. “He wants to break us so America can own us. We will not let that happen."
Carney accused Trump of provoking "the most significant crisis of our lifetimes" through trade restrictions and threats to Canada’s sovereignty.
"Our response must be to build a strong economy and a more secure Canada," he added, vowing not to meet Trump until he acknowledges Canadian sovereignty.
Trump has repeatedly dismissed Canada’s borders as artificial and suggested it should become the 51st U.S. state. His administration has also imposed tariffs on Canadian imports, which has damaged the country’s economy.
While domestic concerns such as the cost of living and immigration typically dominate Canadian elections, one issue looms largest this year: who can best handle Trump.
The U.S. president’s hostile stance toward a NATO ally and long-time trading partner has reshaped Canada’s political landscape.
Trudeau’s unpopularity led to his resignation, and just weeks ago, Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives were seen as the election frontrunners. However, with Trump’s aggressive rhetoric, polls have shifted dramatically, turning the race into a toss-up.
“Many consider this to be an existential election, unprecedented,” said Felix Mathieu, a political scientist at the University of Winnipeg. Poilievre, 45, a career politician first elected at 25, has been described as both a libertarian and a populist. On Sunday, he distanced himself from Trump.
“I want the opposite of what Donald Trump wants,” Poilievre said in Toronto, pledging to focus on economic issues and the concerns of “regular people.”
Carney, 60, has never held elected office. He spent years at Goldman Sachs before leading Canada’s central bank and later the Bank of England. His campaign is centered on economic reform and countering Trump’s trade policies.
Smaller opposition parties could struggle as voters rally behind either the Liberals or Conservatives, seeking a strong mandate against Trump.
Despite his direct impact on the election, Trump dismissed its significance. “I don’t care who wins up there,” Trump said this week.
“But just a little while ago, before I got involved and changed the election, which I don’t care about ... the Conservative was leading by 35 points,” he added.
