Canadians go to the polls yesterday after an election campaign in which US President Donald Trump’s tariffs and musings about annexing Canada became the central issue.
Trump’s threats ignited a wave of patriotism that swelled support for Liberal Prime Minister Mark Carney, a political newcomer who previously led two G7 central banks.
The campaign ended on a sombre note on Sunday after a man rammed an SUV through a crowd at a Filipino community festival in Vancouver, killing at least 11 people and injuring dozens.
Carney briefly paused his campaign, and both he and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre mentioned the tragedy in their final campaign events.
It was unclear if the mass casualty event would have any impact on the election. Duane Bratt, professor of political science at Calgary’s Mount Royal University, said he did not expect it to deter voters.
Carney’s Liberals held a four-point lead over Poilievre’s Conservatives in separate polls by Ipsos and Angus Reid, suggesting little movement in the final days. Ipsos on Sunday pegged the Liberals at 42 per cent support and the Conservatives at 38pc.
Angus Reid’s Saturday poll placed the Liberals at 44pc support, over the Conservatives’ 40pc support.
Those results would likely produce a fourth consecutive Liberal mandate, but Carney might only win a minority of seats in the 343-seat House of Commons, leaving him reliant on smaller parties to govern.
Trump re-emerged as a campaign factor last week, declaring that he might raise a 25pc tariff on Canadian-made cars because the US does not want them. He said earlier he might use “economic force” to make Canada the 51st US state.
“This is probably the most consequential election in my lifetime,” said Kelly Saunders, a political science professor at Brandon University. “Everything has been so overshadowed by the threats coming out of the US.”
Carney has emphasised his experience handling economic issues makes him the best leader to deal with Trump, while Poilievre has tapped into concerns about the cost of living, crime and a housing crisis.
l US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent yesterday said many top trading partners of the US had made ‘very good’ proposals to avert US tariffs, and one of the first deals to be signed would likely be with India.
Speaking to reporters after two early morning television interviews, Bessent said the first such trade agreement might come this week or next, but gave no further details.
“I would guess that India would be one of the first trade deals we would sign,” Bessent told CNBC, adding that the US had also held very substantial negotiations with Japan and discussions with other Asian trading partners were going well.
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