Canada’s PM Carney triggers snap election, vote set for April 28
Canada's newly appointed Prime Minister Mark Carney has called a snap election, sending the country to the polls on 28 April.
The election comes as Canada faces a trade war with the US and calls from President Donald Trump for it to become the 51st American state, issues which are expected to be top of mind for voters.
It also comes nine days after Carney, a Liberal, was sworn in as Canada's prime minister following Justin Trudeau's resignation.
Carney must now face Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, whose party had been leading in national polls since mid-2023, though recent polls suggest the race is now neck-and-neck.
Speaking after asking Governor General Mary Simon for a dissolution of Parliament, Carney said he needed a clear, positive mandate to deal with Trump and create an economy that benefitted everyone.
The Liberals – once written off for this election - now have a chance of forming a government for the fourth consecutive time under Carney.
Carney, the former governor of the banks of England and Canada, has never served as an MP. He is untested politically, outside of a quick leadership race where he had only to win over Liberal Party faithful.
Now he'll face the general electorate, which is concerned about Canada's rapidly shifting relationship with the US, its historically close ally, as well as the country's high cost of living.
Carney is also not the most prolific French-speaker - a requirement for national political leaders in Canada and a necessary skill to win over voters in the key province of Quebec.
As he fights his first election, he has indicated he will be running in the riding of Nepean, in Ottawa.
In a campaign launch shortly before the election call, Conservative leader Poilievre, 45, sought to link Carney to the Liberals under Trudeau, who left office as a deeply unpopular leader.
He called Trudeau's time in office a "lost Liberal decade".
He accused the party of weakening the country by blocking resource development, and mismanaging defence, immigration and the economy, making it more vulnerable to Trump's trade war.
President Trump's current and threatened tariffs on Canadian goods could usher in economic instability in the country and push Canada towards a recession.
Trump placed 25% tariffs on Canadian goods on 2 March before partially pausing them for a month. On 12 March, a blanket 25% duty on all aluminium and steel imports went into effect, hitting Canadian importers.
The administration plans further global tariffs on 2 April.
Canada has retaliated so far with tariffs on about C$60bn ($42bn; £32bn) worth of US goods.
Carney on Sunday called the trade war with the US one of the "most significant threats of our lifetimes".
Referring to Trump, he said: "He wants to break us so America will own us. We will not let that happen."
Carney has promised further retaliation, though he has conceded there is a limit to Canada's tariff response given the different size of the two economies.
He said Trump, who often speaks about making Canada a 51st US state, has to recognise it is a sovereign country.
"He has to say it and accept it," said Carney.
Poilievre said on Sunday that Canada must respond firmly to threats from the White House.
"We have to convert our anger and our anxiety into action," he said. "We have to become strong, self-reliant and sovereign to stand up to the Americans."
The campaign will last five weeks. Besides the US-Canada relationship, much of the focus will be on the economy, including cost-of-living issues.