Canadians are set to cast their votes on Monday in a critical election that has been significantly reshaped by US President Donald Trump and his controversial policies.
At the start of the year, the Conservatives seemed poised for a landslide victory, but Trump’s tariffs and his repeated remarks about turning Canada into the “51st state” have transformed the political landscape. These actions have rekindled support for Mark Carney’s Liberal Party and made the election much more competitive.
Final polls suggest that the Liberals are slightly ahead, although the race has tightened in recent days. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre remains confident that his party can still secure a win.
The election campaign, which lasted 36 days, came to a somber close as the leaders responded to a tragic car ramming attack in Vancouver on Saturday evening, which claimed 11 lives.
Carney, the incumbent prime minister, canceled a scheduled stop in Hamilton on Sunday morning to address the nation following the attack, which occurred during a Filipino festival. Conservative leader Poilievre, in turn, visited Mississauga to meet with members of the Filipino community.
In the final push before the election, Carney held events across Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia to mobilize voters in the western provinces, where the Conservatives have a strong base of support.
Trump’s 25% tariffs and his ongoing threats to annex Canada as the “51st state” have fueled national anger and a surge in Canadian nationalism. These tensions have even resulted in hockey fans booing the US national anthem, signaling how deeply US-Canada relations have been shaken by the president’s actions.
Throughout the campaign, Carney, 60, portrayed himself as the most qualified to lead Canada through this period of crisis. Drawing on his experience as Canada’s central banker during the Great Recession and as head of the Bank of England during Brexit, Carney emphasized the need to counter Trump’s existential threat to Canada.
At a stop in Saskatoon, Carney argued that Canada should look to strengthen its ties with other “reliable trade partners” like the UK and the European Union. Earlier in the campaign, he declared that Canada’s longstanding relationship with the US was “over”.
