The result marked a stunning reversal of the liberals, which only recently appeared.
Trump’s intervention reshapes the campaign
The election was effectively reshaped when President Trump attacked Canada’s economy in a series of online positions and questioned its sovereignty, suggesting it should join the United States as its 51st state. “Unless Canada is a state, it doesn’t make sense!” Trump wrote on Election Day!
His comments angered voters across Canada. In response, conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said: “President Trump, stay away from our elections. The only person who decides Canada’s future is Canadians in the ballot box. Canada will always be proud, sovereign and independent, and we will always be the 51st state.”
The liberals seized on the moment. Prime Minister Carney warned: “Americans want to break us so that they can have us. These are more than words. There are risks.”
The new prime minister and a new battle
Mark Carney, former governor of Bank of Canada and Bank of England, joined the Liberal Party after former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resigned. Trudeau saw his last years in the office drop sharply as the cost of living and immigration pressures continue to rise.
Carney’s stable hand on economic affairs, and his warnings of the threat of Canadian sovereignty, helped liberals win support. He urged voters: “President Trump has some obsessed ideas, and this is one. It’s no joke. It’s his strong desire to achieve this. It’s one of the reasons why this crisis is so serious.”
Nationalism surges after Trump threat
Before Trump’s intervention, conservative leader Poilievre positioned the election as a referendum on the unpopular Trudeau legacy. But Trump’s second victory in the United States and threat to Canada updated the political calculations.
Trump’s aggressive rhetoric, including the threat of tariffs and attacks on Canadian manufacturing, has pushed many Canadians toward liberals. Record numbers (7.3 million voters) vote early, indicating increased sentiment and bets.
Canadian historian Robert Bothwell pointed out that the similarities between Poilievre’s campaign and Trump’s are disturbing. “He called for the same dissatisfaction,” Boswell said. “It’s like Trump standing there and saying, ‘I’m your retribution.’ He added bluntly: “Liberals should pay him.” Trump’s speech is bad for conservatives. ”
Cost of living, fear of trade remains an imminent problem
Despite the election results, the main challenges remain imminent. Canada’s deep trade relations with the United States – more than 75% of exports to the south – means that any new tariffs could cause serious economic losses.
Both Carney and Poilievre promised to quickly renegotiate the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement to ensure economic stability. But only Carney now has mastered the task of pursuing this path.
Carney’s past experience in managing the financial crisis may be crucial for Canada’s braces to potential impacts. His leadership at Bank of Canada and later at Bank of England in The Turbulent Times earned him an international reputation for stable management.
Canadians responded
On Election Day, Poilievre and his wife joined forces to vote in Ottawa, calling on Canadians to “go out and vote for change.”
In Mississauga, the Laiqa and Mahira Shoaib sisters reflect the emotions of division. Laiqa is a health care worker who voted for the NDP, while bank employee Mahira supports the Conservatives. “He is business awareness, and that’s what we need right now,” Mahira said of Poilievre.
Meanwhile, liberal voter Reid Warren caught the sentiment of many returning to the council. “To me, POILIEVRE sounds like a mini Trump,” he said. Warren added to the U.S. president’s tariff threat: “All the shadow Canadians thrown from the U.S. is great, but there’s certainly some turmoil, which is for sure.”
The test of sovereignty and resolution
The deadly attack occurred at the Vancouver Street Fair over the weekend, a movement that briefly undermined the movement and later decided not to be related to terrorism. However, as Canadians weigh on security, sovereignty and economic survival issues, it underlines the tense national atmosphere.
Free trade with the United States has been a decisive issue since 1988, and foreign policy has not played such an important role in the Canadian election.
However, the bet this time is obvious: not only trade or tariffs, but also Canadian independence idea.
Voters explicitly chose their choice.
(Input from AP)
