On Sunday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called for the first elections for April 28, committing to defeat Donald Trump’s desire to annex the huge neighbor in the North of the United States.
Carney, a former central banker, was chosen by the Central Liberal Party of Canada to replace Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister, but he has never faced the wider electorate of the country.
This will now change when Carney has advanced the legislative elections for several months from October. He clearly indicated that the trade and threats of sovereignty from the American president will be at the center of his campaign.
“I have just asked that the Governor General dissolves Parliament and calls for an election for April 28. She agreed,” said Carney in a speech to the nation, referring to the representative of King Charles III in Canada, a member of the British Commonwealth.
In power for a decade, the liberal government has slipped into deep unpopularity, but Carney hopes to set up a wave of Canadian patriotism to a new majority.
“I ask Canadians a strong and positive mandate to deal with President Trump,” said Carney, adding that the Republican “wants to break us, so that America can have us. We will not let it happen.”
“We are faced with the most important crisis of our lives because of President Trump’s unjustified commercial actions and his threats to our sovereignty,” said Carney.
“Our answer must be to build a strong economy and a safer Canada,” he added, committing to not meeting Trump until he recognizes Canadian sovereignty.
Trump agitated his neighbor in the North by repeatedly rejecting his borders as artificial, and asking him to join the United States as a 51st state.
The disturbing remarks were accompanied by the Trump trade war, with the imposition of import prices from Canada threatening to seriously harm its economy.
– Favorites of the survey –
Domestic problems, such as the cost of living and immigration, generally dominate the Canadian elections, but, this time, a key subject is at the top of the list in this country of 41 million people: who can better manage Trump.
The president’s open hostility towards his neighbor in the North – an ally of NATO and historically one of the partners closest to his country – has upset the Canadian political landscape.
Trudeau was deeply unpopular when he announced that he resigned, the conservatives of Pierre Hairy considered as favorites of the elections just weeks ago.
But since Trump’s threats, polls have spectacularly narrowed in favor of the Liberals of Carney, who hold a minority in Parliament, and analysts now describe the race as too close to call.
“Many consider that it is an existential, unprecedented election,” Felix Mathieu, political scientist at the University of Winnipeg, told AFP.
Hairyvre, 45, is a career politician, elected for the first time when he was only 25 years old. A veteran activist of difficult training, he was sometimes labeled as a libertarian and a populist.
Sunday, Hairyvre – considered by some as too similar to Trump in style and substance – sets the tone.
“I want the opposite of what Donald Trump wants,” said the conservative chief in Toronto, promising to base his campaign on the economic problems of bread and butter and the concerns of “ordinary people”.
Beginning his campaign in Labrador and Newfoundland, Carney told supporters on the Atlantic Coast of Canada that the country needed “big change” to transform its economy and “fight Donald Trump prices”.
– “I don’t care” –
Carney, 60, has spent his career outside of electoral policy. He spent more than a decade to Goldman Sachs and continued to lead the Central Bank of Canada, then the Bank of England.
Small opposition parties could suffer if Canadians seek to give a great mandate to one of the two big ones, to strengthen their hand against Trump.
The US leader claims not to worry about who wins the Canadian elections, while advancing with plans to further strengthen the prices against Ottawa and other major business partners on April 2.
“I don’t care who is up there,” said Trump this week.
“But just a little time ago, before getting involved and completely changing the election, which does not worry me … The conservative led 35 points.”
BUR-TIB / DC / DES / AHA / LB
