By ROB GILLIES, Associated Press
TORONTO (AP) — New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will call a snap election on Sunday for an expected vote on April 28, a government official familiar with the matter said Thursday.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly, said Carney will go to the Governor-General Mary Simon on Sunday and request to dissolve Parliament. The governor-general holds a constitutional and ceremonial role as the representative of Canada’s head of state, King Charles III.
The campaign will then officially begin.
The former two-time central banker was sworn in as Canada’s new prime minister on Friday as the country faces a trade war brought by U.S. President Donald Trump and threats of annexation.
Carney, 60, replaced Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who announced his resignation in January but remained in power until the Liberal Party elected a new leader.
The governing Liberals had appeared poised for a historic election defeat this year until Trump declared economic war. He has repeatedly said Canada should become the 51st state of the U.S. Now the party and its new leader could come out on top.
Trump’s trade war and annexation threats have infuriated Canadians, who are booing the American anthem at NHL and NBA games. Many are canceling trips south of the border, and are avoiding buying American goods when they can. The surge in Canadian nationalism has bolstered Liberal poll numbers.
Carney has not had a phone call yet with Trump despite being sworn in last Friday. He has said he’s ready to meet with Trump if he shows respect for Canadian sovereignty.
Carney was the head of the Bank of Canada during the 2008 financial crisis. In 2013 he became the first noncitizen of the U.K. to run the Bank of England — helping to manage the impact of Brexit, the U.K.’s departure from the European Union in 2020.
A former Goldman Sachs executive with no experience in politics, Carney has said protecting Canadian workers and their families in the face of unjustified trade actions and growing the economy will be his top priorities.
Canada’s federal Conservatives and their leader Pierre Poilievre were heading for a massive victory in Canada’s federal election this year until Trudeau resigned and Trump was sworn in and escalated his near-daily attacks on Canada’s economy and sovereignty
Poilievre, 45, for years the party’s go-to attack dog, is a firebrand populist who says he will put “Canada first.” He is a career politician who attacks the mainstream media and vows to defund Canada’s public broadcaster and cut taxes.
The opposition Conservatives hoped to make the election about Trudeau, whose popularity declined as food and housing prices rose and immigration surged. But after decades of bilateral stability, the vote is now is expected to focus on who is best equipped to deal with the U.S.
Trump put 25% tariffs on Canada’s steel and aluminum and is threatening sweeping tariffs on all Canadian products from April 2. He has threatened economic coercion in his annexation threats and suggested the border is a fictional line.
Trump acknowledged that he is tougher on Canada than he is on some of America’s adversaries, telling Fox News that it’s “only because it’s meant to be our 51st state.” Trump said he didn’t care that his trade war with Canada was boosting the Liberal Party ahead of upcoming parliamentary elections.
Carney met the leaders of Britain and France in London and Paris this week on his first official overseas trip, seeking support from two of Ottawa’s oldest allies.
Canada is in discussions with the European Union to join an EU drive to break its security dependency on the U.S., with a focus on buying more defense equipment, including fighter jets, in Europe. The plan includes potentially building Saab Gripen fighter jets in Canada. Carney is reviewing the remaining purchase order of America’s F-35 fighter jets to see if there are other options “given the changing environment.”