Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party won the country’s federal election, capping an impressive turnaround driven by U.S. President Donald Trump’s annexation threats and trade war.
Carney’s rival, Conservative Party populist leader Pierre Poilievre, lost the election and his seat in Parliament.
A few months ago, Poilievre appeared to be the favorite to become Canada’s next prime minister and lead the Conservatives back to power for the first time in a decade.
But then Trump launched a trade war with Canada and suggested the country should become the 51st state, outraging voters and turning the election upside down.
Poilievre, a career politician, campaigned with bravado similar to Trump’s, emulating the “America First” president’s lead by adopting the slogan “Canada First.” But his similarities to Trump may have cost him and his party dearly.
Projections show the Liberals winning more of Parliament’s 343 seats than the Conservatives. As of Tuesday, it was still unclear whether they would secure an absolute majority—at least 172—or need to rely on a smaller party to pass legislation.
In his victory speech, Carney emphasized the importance of unity in the face of threats from Washington. He also stated that the mutually beneficial system Canada and the U.S. had shared since the end of World War II was over.
“We have overcome the shock of American betrayal, but we must never forget the lessons,” he said.
“As I have been warning for months, America wants our land, our resources, our water, our country,” Carney added. “These are not empty threats. President Trump is trying to destroy us so that America can dominate us. This will never… ever happen. But we also need to recognize the reality that our world has fundamentally changed.”
Source: AP