Canada goes to the polls in a test dominated by Trump’s trade (and enlargement) policies

Brussels–Canada goes to the polls today for legislative consultations earlier than the natural October deadline, decided by the new premier, Liberal Mark Carney, who took over from Justin Trudeau last March.

The contents of the elections that a few months ago seemed likely to reward Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives were overturned by the cyclone Donald Trump, who, with his expansionist aims at Canada as a new US state (the fifty-first) and his trade tariffs triggered all-new concerns among citizens. So, the Conservative Poilievre — who, after nine years in the Trudeau government,  seemed to be on the threshold of premiership — could be penalized precisely because of his political closeness to the US president. Polls give the Liberals a slight lead.

In the last couple of months, many Canadian citizens responded to Trump’s provocations by stopping buying Made-in-US products, and many local companies have campaigned specifically to buy Canadian products.

Carney promised to address the looming economic crisis — with rising prices and inflation — with an investment plan in the technology and renewable energy sectors to stimulate growth and reduce dependence on external markets. Moreover, the premier announced a new international trade policy to strengthen relations with Europe, Latin America, and Asia.

It is expected to be a head-to-head between the two sides, with some minor parties likely to become important in case of a balanced result between the two major ones.
Voters will choose all 343 members of the House of Commons, one from each constituency, in a single round of voting, which will end, in this vast country with so many time zones, at dawn tomorrow morning. Exit polls are expected shortly after the polls close.