Topline
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called Sunday for a snap election to be held in April, in which Canadian voters will elect either him or his rival in the Conservative Party, saying he wants a strong mandate as the country faces a “significant threat” from President Donald Trump and his administration’s tariff war with Canada.
Canada’s Liberal Leader and Prime Minister-elect Mark Carney speaks after being elected as the new … More Liberal Party leader, in Ottawa on March 9. AFP via Getty Images
Key Facts
Carney dissolved Canada’s Parliament and called a snap election for April 28, saying in an address he wants a “strong, positive mandate” as the country responds to Trump’s trade war with Canada and his push to make the country the U.S.’ “51st state.” Trump has imposed a 25% tariff on all imports from Canada that aren’t part of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, and Canada has imposed retaliatory tariffs in response, which has led to widespread outcry in Canada, with Canadian politicians pulling American alcohol off their shelves and small businesses reportedly getting caught in the crosshairs. Canada is “facing the most significant crisis of our lifetimes because of President Trump’s unjustified trade actions and his threats to our sovereignty,” Carney said Sunday, saying the country must “build a strong economy and a more secure Canada” and calling for a “new Canada built by us, for us.” Carney was elected by Canada’s Liberal Party leadership earlier in March to succeed former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after he resigned, but his leadership has not yet been tested in a national vote among Canada’s electorate. The prime minister will face off in the snap election against Canadian Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, who launched his campaign Sunday and has similarly spoken out against Trump’s efforts to seize Canada and tariff the country’s U.S. exports.
Crucial Quote
“President Trump claims that Canada isn’t a real country. He wants to break us, so America can own us,” Carney said Sunday. “We will not let that happen.”
This story is breaking and will be updated.
Canada PM Mark Carney Calls Election Amid Trump Tariff War
