Canada’s newly appointed Prime Minister Mark Carney has called for an early election on April 28, framing his campaign as a battle to defend the nation’s sovereignty against U.S. President Donald Trump’s aggressive rhetoric and trade policies.
Carney, a former central banker who recently replaced Justin Trudeau as leader of the centrist Liberal Party, announced Sunday that he had requested the dissolution of Parliament, moving elections forward from their originally scheduled date in October.
“I’ve just requested that the governor general dissolve Parliament and call an election for April 28. She has agreed,” Carney declared in a televised address, referring to King Charles III’s representative in Canada.
With Canada’s long-standing economic and diplomatic ties with the U.S. under increasing strain, Carney vowed to push back against Trump’s trade tariffs and controversial statements questioning Canada’s independence.
“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.”
Trump has repeatedly dismissed Canada’s borders as “artificial” and suggested it should become the 51st U.S. state. His administration has also escalated trade disputes, imposing tariffs on key Canadian exports in a move that threatens to disrupt the country’s economy.
A High-Stakes Election
With 41 million citizens heading to the polls in just weeks, the election is shaping up to be one of the most consequential in Canada’s modern history. While domestic concerns like inflation and immigration typically dominate campaigns, the defining question this time is who can best handle Trump.
Until recently, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre was the clear favorite, capitalizing on frustration with Trudeau’s tenure. However, Carney’s arrival has tightened the race, with political analysts calling it too close to predict.
“Many consider this an existential election, unprecedented,” said Felix Mathieu, a political scientist at the University of Winnipeg. “The stakes are high, and voter turnout should be significant.”
Poilievre, a sharp-tongued career politician known for his populist rhetoric, sought to distance himself from Trump on Sunday.
“I want the opposite of what Donald Trump wants,” Poilievre said, pledging to focus on everyday economic issues rather than the escalating feud with Washington.
Carney, 60, brings a different profile to the race. A former Goldman Sachs executive and central banker, he has never held elected office, but his experience leading the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England has bolstered his image as a steady hand in times of crisis.
With smaller opposition parties at risk of being sidelined in this high-stakes showdown, the April 28 election is set to be a defining moment in Canada’s political landscape.
Meanwhile, Trump, for his part, remains defiant.
“I don’t care who wins up there,” the U.S. president said this week. “But just a little while ago, before I got involved and totally changed the election—which I don’t care about—the Conservative was leading by 35 points.”
