Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called on Sunday for a snap election as he seeks to gain an election mandate to challenge Donald Trump.
Canada’s recently installed Prime Minister Mark Carney called on Sunday for a snap election to be held at the end of next month as he seeks to gain an election mandate to challenge U.S. President Donald Trump in the trade war.
While an election did not need to be held until October 20th, Prime Minster Mark Carney called for a vote on April 28th in an apparent attempt to capitalise on his party’s resurgence in the polls amid the war of words and trade battle with the United States, with President Trump frequently joking about Canada becoming the 51st state and his administration imposing 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminium imports and further plans for “reciprocal” tariffs to be imposed on April 2nd.
“We are facing the most significant crisis of our lifetimes because of President Trump’s unjustified trade actions and his threats to our sovereignty,” Carney said per Reuters.
“There is so much more to do to secure Canada. To invest in Canada, to build Canada, to unite Canada. That’s why I’m asking for a strong positive mandate from my fellow Canadians. I’ve just requested that the Governor General dissolve Parliament and call an election for April 28th, and she has agreed.”
Earlier this month, Carney became the first person to become Canadian prime minister without ever having been elected to any office earlier this month after Justin Trudeau’s resignation sparked a leadership contest in the governing Liberal Party.
