Newly appointed Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to announce an election on Sunday, aiming to secure a strong mandate to address the economic challenges posed by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Carney’s agenda includes a visit to the Governor General, the representative of King Charles, Canada’s head of state, at noon (1600 GMT), followed by a media briefing.
He is anticipated to request the dissolution of Parliament, which would initiate the election campaign.
While the next election is scheduled for October 20, Carney is eager to leverage a significant resurgence in his Liberal party’s poll numbers since January, when Trump began making threats against Canada and former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared his resignation.
Carney, a former central banker with no prior political or campaign experience, secured the Liberal leadership on March 9 by convincing party members that he was the ideal candidate to confront Trump.
Liberal party insiders had indicated that Carney would pursue an election within a matter of weeks.
See more: Defying protests, Israeli cabinet reported to be seeking attorney general’s removal
According to The Globe and Mail, the election is slated for April 28, providing Carney with five weeks to win the support of Canadians. Recent polls indicate that the Liberals, who have been in power since 2015 and were trailing the official opposition Conservatives earlier this year, are now slightly leading their opponents.
Although Carney has not yet communicated with Trump, he has attempted to ease tensions, expressing respect for Trump’s objectives during a press conference.
The Conservatives have attempted to frame Carney as an elitist who intends to maintain the high government spending policies of the Trudeau administration. They have also raised questions about the transparency of how he moved his personal financial assets into a blind trust.
