With election results coming in for Canada’s federal elections, it appears that the Liberal Party has won a narrow victory to retain control of the government, with Prime Minister Mark Carney set to continue leading the country as it navigates economic challenges and hostility from President Donald Trump.
Liberals win election shaped by economy and tensions with the U.S.
Canada’s Liberal Party appears poised to retain power for a fourth term. However, it is not yet clear whether the Liberals will maintain a majority and govern outright or if they will fall short and have to form a coalition government. Mark Carney, who became Liberal Party leader and then Prime Minister after the resignation of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau earlier this year, will maintain his position. The win for Carney and the Liberals contrasts with polling from a few months ago that had them trailing the Conservative Party.
The election was primarily shaped by two distinct but related issues: Canada’s economic performance in recent years and growing tensions with the United States and specifically the Trump administration. According to the Wilson Center, a global issues think tank, Canada has struggled in recent years with economic challenges, including inflation and high housing prices. Carney’s background, which includes stints as governor of the central banks for Canada and England, is seen as an asset as he leads the country through this economic environment.
Mark Carney continues to stand up to Trump
Despite Canada and the United States being close allies for many decades, Trump has been unusually hostile toward the country, even threatening to annex it as the 51st U.S. state. The feud with Trump and how to handle his bullying became major issues in Canadian politics, contributing to Trudeau’s political fall. Canada, along with Mexico, was one of the first targets of Trump’s policy of imposing heavy tariffs on U.S. trading partners; the U.S. president has cited trade imbalances and border security, and the trade war that has emerged threatens to hurt both Canada and the U.S. economically.
Carney has indicated that he is willing to negotiate with Trump, but on Canadians’ terms, not those of the U.S., the BBC reported.
“There is a partnership to be had, an economic and security partnership,” Carney said of Canadian relations with the United States, but clarified that “it’s going to be a very different one than we’ve had in the past.”
The Canadian prime minister struck a defiant tone against Trump in his victory speech.
“As I have been warning for months, America wants our land, our resources, our water, our country,” he said. “But these are not idle threats. President Trump is trying to break us so that America can own us. That will never ever happen.”
Overall, the Liberal Party’s victory and Carney’s continued leadership appear to demonstrate that Canadians are ready to continue the showdown with Trump and are willing to put their faith in the Liberals to guide them out of their economic woes.
