Brussels – The Donald Trump Cyclone hit in Canada. In the early federal election, the Liberal Party of Prime Minister Mark Carney won, against the predictions of a few months ago. It was mostly the outbursts of the US president — who for months has been fantasizing about annexing the northern neighbor as the 51st state of the Union — that weighed on the Canadian vote, effectively turning it into a test of national unity in the face of Washington’s about-face.
The polls closed at 10 p.m. local time last night (April 28), but counting is ongoing. The preliminary results assigned the victory to the center-left liberals of current PM Mark Carney, with 43.5 percent of the votes, against 41.4 percent for the Conservatives led by Pierre Poilievre.
Of the 343 members of the House of Commons, the lower branch of the federal legislature, at least 168 will go to the Liberal Party, while the Conservatives are expected to stop at 144. Since the threshold for a majority in the House is 172 seats, Carney could lead a minority executive or try to set up a coalition government. Be that as it may, the premier won his popular investiture following his succession to Justin Trudeau last March, who retired from the public scene after 12 years at the party’s helm.
Compared to the 2021 consultation, the Liberals increased their support by 10.8 percent and their Conservative opponents by 7.8 percent, while all other parties lost support: minus 1.1 percent for both the Greens and the Bloc Québécois, minus 4.2 percent for the People’s Party, and minus 11.7 percent for the New Democratic Party.
And to think that, until a few months ago, the favorite to win the early elections (the natural expiration of the legislature would have been next October) was Poilievre, after nine years in which the leadership of the country had remained in the hands of liberal democrats. However, for the Conservative leader, the political closeness to Donald Trump was fatal. Yesterday’s vote effectively became a question of unity, national security, and a referendum on the White House occupant.
Trump, who for months has been insisting on Canada’s potential entry into the United States as the 51st member of the Union, hit Ottawa with heavy trade tariffs and went so far as to carry out, yesterday, a full-blown election interference, suggesting voters vote for Poilievre. A victory by the latter would bring economic prosperity and security to the “Great People of Canada,” the New York tycoon wrote in his Social Truth.
This interference did not sit well even with Poilievre himself, who had to turn to his (former?) ally and ask him to “stay out” of the democratic processes of a sovereign nation. “The only people who will decide Canada’s future are Canadians at the ballot box,” the Conservative leader wrote on X, reiterating, “Canada will always be proud, sovereign, and independent and will NEVER be the 51st state.” “Today, Canadians can vote for change so that we can strengthen our country, stand on our own two feet, and face America from a position of strength,” he added.
Carney declared victory at dawn today, stating that Ottawa will “never” yield to the neo-imperialism that is an all too clear signature of Trumpism and promising to “represent all those who call Canada home.” “President Trump is trying to break us so that America can own us,” he said. “That will never, ever happen,” he promised.
It is a historic watershed in Canadian politics. It has traditionally considered the United States a solid ally (both countries are part of the G7 and NATO along with European partners). “We are over the shock of the American betrayal, but we should never forget the lessons,” Carney noted. “We have to look out for ourselves. And above all, we have to take care of each other.” The prime minister pledged to reduce the national economy’s dependence on Washington while deepening ties with more “reliable” allies. In an unusual move, he conducted his first foreign trip as premier to Europe, meeting with French and British officials.
The leader of Canada’s Conservative Party, Pierre Poilievre (photo: Peter Power/Afp)
At the same time, Poilievre conceded defeat. The Conservative leader is even in danger of not returning to Parliament, having fallen behind in the single-member challenge in his Ontario constituency. “We will always put Canada first as we face tariffs and other irresponsible threats from President Trump,” he said, distancing himself from the tycoon‘s indefensible positions. He promised to work with Carney for the country’s good while noting that the premier will lead a “razor-thin minority government.”
The other side of the Atlantic welcomed the Liberals’ victory. The head of the EU executive, Ursula von der Leyen, stressed that “the bond between Europe and Canada is strong and growing stronger,” anticipating that they would work together to defend “our shared democratic values,” promote “multilateralism,” and champion “free and fair trade.” The President of the European Council, António Costa, reiterated that the EU and Canada are “allies and strong trading partners” and that, above all, they share “the same values,” including attachment to “the UN Charter and the rules-based international order.”
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
