Politics Canada's prime minister announces new election - tariff dispute main topic
In the midst of the turbulent trade war with the USA, Canada is to elect a new parliament. Prime Minister Mark Carney called an early election on Sunday for April 28. The Liberal leader will then run as his party's lead candidate against the Conservative Pierre Poilievre.
23.03.2025, 18:39
23.03.2025, 19:12
SDA
The new election in the G7 country had been on the cards: Trudeau and his Liberals were losing support due to a weak economy and rising prices. Trudeau resigned and handed over to Mark Carney, thus avoiding a vote of no confidence. Experts see this as an attempt to use the momentum in the conflict with the USA.
Trump's pressure gave the Liberals a surprising boost. Carney is ahead in the polls. In the face of Trump, many of the 41 million Canadians are coming together.
"Canada First" candidate or crisis manager?
The parties have a good month to convince voters. The leading candidates from all camps are presenting themselves as anti-Trump, but Poilievre is finding this more difficult: his style is reminiscent of Trump, as is his agenda - low taxes, cuts to the national budget, criticism of fake news and woke ideology. This worked as long as Trudeau's policies were unpopular and Trump did not scare people. Now, however, his course is once again strengthening the Liberals. According to polls, many believe that Carney is most likely to be able to take on Trump.
Carney is considered to be crisis-tested, albeit without government experience: during the financial crisis he headed Canada's central bank, later the Bank of England during Brexit. Most recently, he was UN Special Envoy for Climate Action. He is campaigning for closer cooperation with Europe and Asia in order to reduce US dependency. His start in office was strong. Whether he will survive the tough election campaign remains to be seen - his limited charisma is seen as a weakness.
