Mark Carney will have to say thank you to Donald Trump. According to preliminary results, the Liberal Party has indeed won the legislative elections in Canada, despite not having won an absolute majority. The US president's constant attacks, the latest of which came on the very day of the vote when he spoke of the country as the "51st star", would have in fact pushed millions of Canadians to go to the polls, allowing the Liberals to recover a disadvantage of over 20 points compared to January. The former central banker Carney, who in March had succeeded the government of the resigning Justin Trudeau, therefore remains prime minister, with the task of addressing the economic difficulties triggered by the duties and respond blow for blow to the US threats.
Canada: Trump Effect on Election Results
According to preliminary results from the Canadian broadcaster CTV News, the Liberal Party would have won 168 seats against the 144 of the Conservative Party led by the populist Pierre Poilievre. The numbers do not allow us to establish whether the Prime Minister will lead a majority government (172 seats) or a minority government.
Only a few months ago the road to the return to power of the conservative led by Pierre Poilievre seemed to be a clear path, after ten years under the leadership of Justin Trudeau: in January, the party even had a 24-point lead. Then Donald Trump returned to the White House and from the first days he began to attack Canada, with tariffs and threats of annexation, turning the situation upside down. With his daily attacks, he pushed the liberals and weighed down the conservatives, whose approach is very similar to Maga's on issues such as immigration and security.
Carney, for his part, based his campaign on a anti-Trump message. He has previously served as central bank governor in both the UK and Canada and has convinced voters that his global financial experience makes him well-suited to lead the country through a trade war. He promised to expand foreign trade relations to reduce Canada's dependence on the United States.
Speaking to supporters in Ottawa after his victory at the polls, Carney said his country should not never forget the American “betrayal”. “Our old relationship with the United States is over,” he said, “because President Trump is trying to break us in order to own us,” he declared, calling on the country to unite in the “difficult months ahead that will require sacrifices.”
Looking at the other parties, the New Democratic Party, after having governed for years with Trudeau, has lost many votes and seems not to have reached the 12 deputies (it is currently at 7) necessary to be considered a "party" within Parliament and consequently to be able to participate in the government. The independentists of the Bloc Québécois, who have so far won 23 seats.
Canadian Elections: Majority in the balance
The absolute majority is set at a quota 172 seats. It is therefore increasingly likely that, in order to govern, the Liberals will have to seek the support of smaller parties or, alternatively, go ahead with a minority government. Votes from the westernmost province of British Columbia, the last to close on the ballot, will be decisive.
Conservatives Pledge Unity Against Trump
Canadian Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has pledged to work with the Liberal government to counter the trade war and US President Donald Trump's threats of annexation, after projections gave victory to Mark Carney's party.
"We will always put Canada first“, he told supporters, adding: “The Conservatives will work with the prime minister and all parties with the common goal of defending Canada’s interests and getting a new trade deal that puts these tariffs behind us, while protecting our sovereignty.”
