Carney’s Liberals win Canada election defined by Trump

• Prime Minister Mark Carney won Canada’s election, leading the Liberal Party to a new term.
• Carney’s campaign focused on his economic experience and an anti-Trump message.
• The departure of Justin Trudeau and concerns about Trump were key to the Liberal victory.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has won Canada’s election, media projected, leading his Liberal Party to a new term in power after convincing voters his experience managing economic crises prepared him to confront US President Donald Trump.

The public broadcaster CBC and CTV News both projected the Liberals would form Canada’s next Government, but it was not yet clear if they would hold a majority in parliament.

Trump’s trade war and threats to annexe Canada, which he renewed in an election day social media post, outraged Canadians and made dealing with the United States a top campaign issue.

Carney, who had never held elected office and only replaced Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister last month, anchored his campaign on an anti-Trump message.

Supporters for Canada's Prime Minister and Liberal Party leader Mark Carney celebrate as results are announced during an election party in Ottawa, Canada. Photo / AFP

He previously served as central bank governor in both Britain and Canada and persuaded voters his global financial experience had prepared him to guide Canada through a trade war.

He promised to expand overseas trading relations to curb Canada’s reliance on the US.

Carney’s descriptions of the Trump threat have been stark.

Canadian Prime Minister and Liberal leader Mark Carney leaves a polling station after casting his ballot in the federal election in Ottawa, Canada. Photo / AFP

“Donald Trump wants to break us so America can own us,” he said during the campaign.

“They want our resources, they want our water, they want our land, they want our country. They can’t have it.”

Trudeau’s departure

But the departure of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was also crucial to the Liberal win, which capped one of the most dramatic turnarounds in Canadian political history.

On January 6, the day Trudeau announced he would resign, the Conservatives led the Liberals by more than 20 points in most polls, as voter anger over soaring costs mounted after Trudeau’s decade in power.

But Carney replacing Trudeau, combined with nationwide unease about Trump, transformed the race.

Carney, 60, distanced himself from Trudeau throughout the campaign.

He said Trudeau did not focus enough on growing Canada’s economy and scrapped a controversial Trudeau tax on carbon emissions that left many voters seething.

Nearly 29 million of Canada’s 41 million people were eligible to vote in the massive G7 country that spans six time zones. A record 7.3 million people cast advanced ballots.

Results were still pending on the shape of Canada’s 343 members of parliament, with 172 seats needed for a majority. The Liberals won a majority in 2015 but have governed with a minority since 2019.

-Agence France-Presse