Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will trigger an early election on Sunday for an expected vote on April 28, a government official said Thursday, a decision that was made as the country faces a trade war and sovereignty threats from President Trump. The official, who wasn't authorized to publicly give details so spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity, said that Carney would go to Governor-General Mary Simon on Sunday and request to dissolve Parliament. Her office holds a constitutional and ceremonial role as the representative of Canada's head of state, King Charles III. The campaign for the election, which is due by October but can be called at any time before then by a prime minister, will then officially begin.
Carney joined the Edmonton Oilers hockey team on the ice Thursday for a morning skate. Carney, a former Harvard goalie, sported a No. 24 jersey, a reference to him being the 24th Canadian prime minister.
- The former central banker was sworn in as Canada's new prime minister on Friday. 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.
- Trump's economic war and annexation threats have infuriated Canadians, who have been 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. "This is a stunning reversal related directly to what is widely known in Canada as the 'Trump Effect,'" said Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal.
- The Conservatives and their leader, Pierre Poilievre, were heading for a huge victory in the federal election this year until Trudeau resigned and Trump was sworn in and escalated his near-daily attacks on Canada's economy and sovereignty.
- On Wednesday, Trump told Laura Ingraham at Fox News that he didn't care that his policies may have given the Liberals a boost. "I think it's easier to deal, actually, with a liberal and maybe they're going to win, but I don't really care. It doesn't matter to me at all," he said, per Reuters. "The conservative that's running is, stupidly, no friend of mine. I don't know him, but he said negative things," he said. "When he says negative things, I couldn't care less."
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