Canadians are set to vote on April 28 as Prime Minister Mark Carney on Sunday called for snap federal elections as Canada experiences a tumultuous political period. The widely anticipated decision comes less than two weeks after Carney took up the top post, succeeding Justin Trudeau at a time of soaring tensions with the United States triggered due to US President Trump's tariff threats.
Carney will kick off a five-week election campaign, ahead of the April 28 vote. Carney has said the government in a time of crisis needs a strong and clear mandate. "The next election will be one of the most consequential in our lifetimes," he posted on social media overnight.
The election campaign for 343 seats or districts in the House of Commons will last 37 days. While other parties are running, the Liberals and the Conservatives are the only two that have a chance to form government.
Canada to hold polls in the backdrop of US trade war
The governing Liberals had appeared poised for a historic election defeat this year until Trump declared a trade war. Trump has repeatedly said that Canada should become the 51st US state and he acknowledged Friday that he has upended Canadian politics.
Trump's almost daily attacks on Canada's sovereignty have infuriated Canadians and led to a surge in nationalism that has bolstered Liberal poll numbers. The party that commands a majority in Parliament, either alone or with the support of another party, will form the next government and its leader will be prime minister.
Carney replaced Justin Trudeau, who announced his resignation in January, but remained in power until the Liberal Party elected a new leader on March 9 following a leadership race by the governing party.
The opposition Conservatives hoped to make the election about Trudeau, whose popularity declined as food and housing prices rose and immigration surged. But after decades of bilateral stability, the vote is now expected to focus on who is best equipped to deal with Trump.
(With inputs from the Associated Press)