Canada votes as Trump renews US takeover push for ‘cherished 51st state'

Straits Times

29-04-2025

Vote signs outside a polling station during a federal election in Ottawa, Ontario. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
Canada votes as Trump renews US takeover push for 'cherished 51st state'
OTTAWA - Canadians across six time zones were voting April 28 to choose a new leader to confront Donald Trump's trade war and annexation threats, which the US president renewed in a forceful election day message.
The Liberal Party, led by new Prime Minister Mark Carney, looked set to lose to the Conservatives' Pierre Poilievre until Mr Trump's attacks on Canada sparked a sudden reversal in poll forecasts.
Mr Trump inserted himself into Canadian politics on election day with a social media post saying Canada would face 'ZERO TARIFFS' if it 'becomes the cherished 51st state.'
'No more artificially drawn line from many years ago,' he said.
Mr Trump's prominence in the race has hurt Mr Poilievre's chances of becoming prime minister and the Tory leader hit back before he voted on April 28.
'President Trump, stay out of our election,' he posted on X. 'Canada will always be proud, sovereign and independent and we will NEVER be the 51st state.'
Mr Carney also chided the president, saying on X: 'This is Canada and we decide what happens here.'
The 60-year-old has never held elected office and only replaced Mr Justin Trudeau as prime minister last month.
He had a lucrative career as an investment banker before serving as the central bank governor in both Canada and Britain.
Mr Carney has argued his global financial experience has prepared him to guide Canada's response to Mr Trump.
'We don't need chaos, we need calm. We don't need anger, we need an adult,' Mr Carney said in the campaign's closing days.
Mr Poilievre, a 45-year-old career politician, has tried to keep the focus on domestic concerns that made Trudeau deeply unpopular toward the end of his decade in power.
The Tory leader argued Mr Carney would continue 'the lost Liberal decade' and that only the Conservatives will act against soaring costs, housing shortages and other non-Trump issues that Canadians rank as priorities.
'Settle down'
Final polls indicate a tight race but put Mr Carney as the favourite.
With warm spring weather, Canadians lined up outside schools, community centres and other venues in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto to vote.
Montreal resident Hamza Fahri, who plans to vote after work, described the election as 'unique.'
'I wanted to vote for change in Canada. I wanted the Liberals to go, but in the end, I'll vote for Carney because he is a strong, serious man and that's what the country needs to face Trump,' the 28-year-old engineer told AFP.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, alongside his wife Diana Fox Carney, giving a thumbs up after casting his ballot in Ottawa.
PHOTO: AFP
But Ms Kelsey Leschasin, who lives in the Conservative-leaning central province of Saskatchewan, said her priority was 'change.'
'I don't agree with the Liberal government and how they're running our country,' she told AFP in Montreal, where she was visiting for a conference.
In Ottawa, Ms Caroline Jose voiced concern that Mr Trump's threats had put voters into 'kind of a panic,' and that critical issues like income inequality had not been discussed.
'I wish we could have things settle down and (people) could vote with their mind and not with their gut,' the 46-year-old said.
Historic turnaround?
If the Liberals win, it would mark one of the most dramatic turnarounds in Canadian political history.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and his wife Anaida Poilievre casting their vote in Ottawa.
PHOTO: AFP
On Jan 6, the day Mr Trudeau announced he would resign, the Conservatives led the Liberals by more than 20 points in most polls.
But Mr Carney replacing Mr Trudeau, combined with nationwide unease about Mr Trump, transformed the race.
Public broadcaster CBC's poll aggregator final update late April 27 put the Liberals' national support at 42.8 per cent, with the Conservatives at 39.2 per cent.
The performance of two smaller parties – the left-wing New Democratic Party and the separatist Bloc Quebecois – could be decisive as strong showings by both parties in past votes have curbed Liberal seat tallies.
Nearly 29 million of Canada's 41 million people are eligible to vote in the massive G-7 country. A record 7.3 million people cast advanced ballots.
Canadians will elect 343 Members of Parliament, meaning 172 seats are needed for a majority. The Liberals won a majority in 2015 but have governed with a minority since 2019. AFP
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