Canada's new prime minister, Mark Carney and his conservative opponents began campaigning on Sunday against the backdrop of a trade war and annexation threat from US President Donald Trump.
Kearney announced that a five-week election campaign will take place before the April 28th vote.
The government's Liberal Party was poised for a historic election defeat this year, before Trump declared a trade war. Trump has repeatedly said Canada should become the 51st US state, and confirmed on Friday it overturned Canadian politics.
Trump's almost daily attacks on Canadian sovereignty led to a surge in Canadian nationalism, which infuriated Canadians and strengthened liberal polls.
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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will hold a press conference on Friday, March 21, 2025.
“President Trump claims Canada is not a real country. He wants to destroy us and allow America to own us. We won't let that happen,” Carney said.
The government's Liberal Party was poised for this year's historic election defeat until Justin Trudeau announced his resignation in January and Trump declared a trade war. Carney says the government needs a strong and clear mission in times of crisis.
“The next election will be one of the most important elections of our life,” he posted overnight on social media.
The election campaign for the 343 House seats or districts lasts for 37 days. While other political parties are running, the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party are the only two who have the opportunity to form a government. A party leading a majority in Parliament, either alone or with the support of another party, forms the next government, whose leader becomes the prime minister.
Canadian new prime minister and Trump critic Mark Carney have been accused of not being contacted by “normal people.”
Mark Carney has replaced former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau following Trudeau's decision to resign in January. (Earlyn McDawley/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Kearney replaced Trudeau. Trudeau announced his resignation in January, but he remained in power until the Liberal Party elected a new leader on March 9th after a leadership race by the admins.
Opposition Conservatives wanted to hold an election on Trudeau as food and housing prices rose and immigration spikes. But after decades of bilateral stability, the vote is now expected to focus on the best people to deal with Trump.
Trump puts 25% tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, threatening cleaning fees to all Canadian products and all American trading partners on April 2nd.
Pierre Polyave, the conservative leader, is Kearney's main challenger. The party and Poilliebre were heading for a major victory in Canadian federal elections this year, until Trump's almost-day trade and annexation threat derailed them.
Canadian politicians argue that Trump administrators' “51st State” rhetoric is “an act of war.”
Canadian governing liberals suffered a historic election defeat this year, before US President Donald Trump announced tariffs on Canadian goods. (Donald Trump/The Truth Social)
Poilliebre said he would stand up to Trump, but conservative ally Alberta Prime Minister Daniel Smith said in an interview that Poilliebre is “very in sync” with “a new direction in America.”
“I argue that the President recognizes Canada's independence and sovereignty, and that he will stop engaging in our country,” Polyebre said when he launched the campaign.
Poilierbre said he did not respect the “treatment he encountered in our country.”
“I know a lot of people are worried, angry and worried, and there is a good reason as a result of the President's unacceptable threat to our country,” he said.
“You are concerned about your work and the sovereignty of our country. And you are angry at the sense of betrayal that these unacceptable words and tariffs have made us all an experience. I share your anger and my concern about our future.”
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Kearney hasn't made a phone call with Trump yet, but that may not happen until after the election. Trump laughed at Trudeau by calling him governor, but he hasn't mentioned Carney's name yet.
Carney, 60, was head of the Bank of Canada during the 2008 financial crisis. In 2013 he became the first non-citizen in the UK to run the UK Bank. Helped manage the impact of Brexit.
Poilliebre, 45-year-old party attack dog, has been a career politician for years and is a populist of the fire brand who says to put “the first of Canada.” He vows to give back Canadian public broadcasters, and he will not allow the media on board his campaign bus or planes.
