Canadian Leaders Make Final Statements in Election Disrupted by Trump

Canadian leaders campaigned across key districts on Saturday, just two days before a crucial election, with Prime Minister Mark Carney leading the charge. Carney, who has promised voters that he can stand up to US President Donald Trump's threats, is favored in the race. A win for his Liberal Party would mark a remarkable turnaround in Canadian political history.

On January 6, when former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation, the Liberals were trailing the Conservatives by more than 20 points in most polls, and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre seemed on track to become Canada’s next premier. However, after that, Trump imposed a series of aggressive tariffs and repeatedly hinted at absorbing Canada into the United States. The Canadian public reacted with outrage, booing the US national anthem at sports events and canceling travel plans to the US.

When Carney replaced Trudeau on March 14, he centered his message on the threats posed by Trump. Although Carney had never held elected office, his leadership of Canada’s and Britain’s central banks made him a strong candidate, as he argued that his global financial experience made him the best person to defend Canada against Trump’s erratic trade policies.

Carney spent the campaign’s penultimate day in Ontario, a crucial province where voters have swung between Liberal and Conservative support in the past. At a rally in Mississauga, just west of Toronto, Carney criticized Trump’s trade war, saying, “President Trump’s trade war has literally ruptured the global economy, and he has betrayed Canada.” He added, “Canadians are over the shock of that betrayal, but we should never forget the lessons.” Carney then turned his attacks on Poilievre, claiming that the Conservative leader lacked the experience needed to lead during such challenging times. “We don’t need chaos, we need calm. We don’t need anger, we need an adult,” Carney said.

Carney concluded the day with a rally in Windsor, the heart of Canada’s auto industry, which has been heavily affected by Trump’s tariffs.

The combination of Trump’s influence and the leadership change from Trudeau to Carney has unsettled Poilievre, a 45-year-old veteran of Parliament. However, the Conservative leader has focused his campaign on issues that have driven discontent with the Liberals during Trudeau’s tenure, particularly the rising cost of living. On Saturday, Poilievre campaigned in British Columbia before heading to Ontario for an evening rally. “You cannot handle another four years of this,” he told his supporters in Delta, emphasizing that Carney would simply continue Trudeau’s policies. “To the single mother whose fridge, stomach, and bank account are empty, and who doesn’t know how she is going to feed her kids tomorrow, have hope. Change is on the way,” he said.

While Poilievre has criticized Trump, he has placed the blame for Canada’s vulnerability to US protectionism on the poor economic performance of the Liberal government.

Polls still favor a Liberal victory, but the race has tightened in the final days. The CBC’s poll aggregator, which had previously shown the Liberals leading by seven to eight points, put Liberal support at 42.5 percent on Saturday, with the Conservatives at 38.7 percent. Support for left-wing parties, such as the New Democrats and the separatist Bloc Quebecois, has been weakening, which could benefit the Liberals, as past elections saw stronger support for those parties curbing the Liberals’ seat counts in key provinces like British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec.

A record 7.3 million Canadians, out of the 28.9 million eligible voters, cast early ballots over the Easter weekend, a 25 percent increase compared to 2021.

Political analyst Tim Powers called the campaign “strange,” noting that the Conservatives had hoped for a debate centered on affordability and other issues where they had been gaining traction. However, as McGill University political scientist Daniel Beland pointed out, the Conservative attempts to shift focus away from Trump had largely failed. “They hoped there’d be more of a debate around affordability and all the issues they were scoring points on,” Powers said. “Poilievre envisioned a campaign where Justin Trudeau would be his opponent.”

The election results are expected to be announced shortly after the polls close on Monday.

This article was reported by journalist Jimmy.