In an effort to counter the US President Donald Trump, the New Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney, called for a snap election this April 28 even though the next election’s due date was not until October 20.
Carney stated that Canada needs an authority that can handle Trump, whose actions led to what the Prime Minister considered as Canada’s most significant crisis of the lifetime. Carney also stated that Canada must build a strong economy and impose more security.
Trump had imposed 25% tariffs on Canadian goods, which he delayed on March 6 for 30 days, steel and aluminum imports and threatened reciprocal tariffs on additional goods on April 2. Moreover, the US president also threatened to annex the northern neighbor to be the US’ 51st state.
These actions have deteriorated the relations between the US and Canada.
With Governor General Mary Simon approving an election request, Carney now has five weeks to convince people that he is the best option. Although the former central banker has no political or election campaign experience, he successfully persuaded the Liberal Party and became its leader.
His party made a recovery in the polls since January following Trump’s threat and former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation announcement. Currently, the polls suggest that their rivals, such as the Conservative, are slightly behind.
Hoping to diminish him, the Conservative accused Carney of planning a high spending policy like Trudeau’s. Carney also had a negative response when questioned about trust by a journalist recently when asked about his assets and blind trust. He accused the reporter of engaging in “conflict and ill will.”
Furthermore, he seems to have difficulty with French, which is an official and common language of Quebec province. This region is one of vital areas in securing election victory. In one press conference, Carney responded to a question in English when he was asked to respond in France. Meanwhile, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is speaking fluent French.
Still, a Western University’s politics professor, Laura Stephenson, stated the inexperience might not be that important. CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs, Darrell Bricker, also stated that Canadians are now focusing on the present and the near-term future, instead of the past, which the Conservatives used when attacking the Liberals.
