Mark Carney will be the prime minister of Canada after the Liberal Party won a slight majority in parliament when Canadians voted Monday on whether the Liberals would remain in power following a decade of rule.
Carney and conservative opposition leader Pierre Poilievre were the two leading candidates for Prime Minister. Canadians voted locally for their representative in the chamber and did not directly cast ballots for their prime minister.
Looming large over the Canadian election was U.S. President Donald Trump, whose calls for Canada to become the 51st U.S. state and for 25 percent tariffs on Canadian imports soured relations between the usually friendly neighbors. Trump’s stance appeared to shrink the resounding lead in the polls that Poilievre and the Conservative Party came to enjoy after the Canadian public had soured on former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Canadian nationalism has seen a resurgence as Trump’s posture towards America’s neighbor to the north allowed Canadian Liberals to define themselves in opposition to him.
“I was disliked by enough of the Canadians that I’ve thrown the election into a close call, right? I don’t even know if it’s a close call. But the conservatives, they didn’t like Governor Trudeau too much, and I would call him Governor Trudeau, but he wasn’t fond of that,” Trump recently told The Atlantic when asked about Canada domestic politics and the notion of it becoming an American state.
Trump also weighed in on Truth Social ahead of the election with musings about Canada becoming the 51st state and a recommendation for who they should choose.
“Elect the man who has the strength and wisdom to cut your taxes in half, increase your military power, for free, to the highest level in the World, have your Car, Steel, Aluminum, Lumber, Energy, and all other businesses, QUADRUPLE in size, WITH ZERO TARIFFS OR TAXES, if Canada becomes the cherished 51st,” Trump posted.
On election day, Poilievre denounced Trump’s calls for Canada to become the 51st state and reiterated his change-inspired message.
“President Trump, stay out of our election. The only people who will decide the future of Canada are Canadians at the ballot box. Canada will always be proud, sovereign, and independent, and we will NEVER be the 51st state. Today Canadians can vote for change so we can strengthen our country, stand on our own two feet and stand up to America from a position of strength,” Poilievre said.
A former central banker and Goldman Sachs executive, Carney is leader of the Liberal Party. He became prime minister earlier this year when Trudeau stepped down as Liberals trailed badly in the polls.
Poilievre ran as a change candidate and initially developed a massive polling advantage due to populist messaging on improving affordability and energy production. Although he repeatedly criticized Trump’s plans, Poilievre failed to adjust his messaging and define himself in opposition to Trump once Trudeau stepped down.
Polls closed across Canada at 10 p.m. eastern time. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation called the election for Carney and the Liberals shortly thereafter. The Liberal Party will take take home more parliament seats than the Conservatives, but it is too early to determine whether they will win a majority.
Besides Liberals and Conservatives, the left-wing New Democratic Party and Bloc Quebecois, the Quebec nationalist party, typically gain small shares of seats in the House of Commons. The minority parties appeared to be much less of a factor than typical Canadian elections because of Trump’s polarizing influence on the electorate.
The election went as planned after a car attack at a Filipino heritage event in Vancouver over the weekend caused the campaign to be suspended for a few hours. The attack killed eleven victims, and a suspect has been charged with murder. Investigators have ruled out terrorism and believe that the suspect has a history of mental illness.