President Trump overshadows Canadian election

Wind change direction

Less than 10 days after taking office as Canadian Prime Minister replacing Justin Trudeau, Mark Carney on March 23 asked Governor General Mary Simon to dissolve parliament to hold an early election on April 28, even though by law it could wait until October 20. Observers say Carney is taking advantage of the recovery in support for the ruling Liberal Party to aim for a victory, according to Reuters.

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the decision to hold an early election in Ottawa on March 23.

Just a few months earlier, polls had shown that the Conservatives, led by Pierre Poilievre, would win a majority in parliament by dozens of percentage points over the Liberals. But the political landscape has changed rapidly since Trudeau announced his resignation in January. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada and his half-joking comments about turning the country into the 51st US state have unintentionally affected Poilievre, who has been compared to Trump in style.

Angry at Trump, Canadians boycott US tourism

According to Le Monde , Mr. Poilievre criticized the policies of the Liberal government, called for lower taxes, and portrayed himself as a victim of the elite and the media. He also proposed a "Canada First" message, a slogan reminiscent of Mr. Trump's "America First" policy, although the purpose was to assert Canadian sovereignty in the face of threats from the United States under Mr. Trump.

For the first time in nearly three years, the Liberals have taken the lead, while the Conservatives and the progressive New Democratic Party (NDP) have lost ground, according to a CBC poll. Some analysts say the race is still too close to call.

Common Threat

In his campaign launch speech on March 23, Mr. Poilievre sought to distance himself from comparisons to Mr. Trump, stressing that he shared the same feelings of “betrayal” from the US President that Canadians felt toward the US President and declaring that the country would not become the 51st state of the US. Mr. Poilievre accused Mr. Trudeau’s government of leading the country into chaos and suggested that Mr. Carney would not make much of a difference. “After a decade of Liberal failure, can Canadians endure a fourth term of this party?” Mr. Poilievre asked.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Carney emphasized the similarities between Mr. Poilievre and Mr. Trump, describing the US President's plan as "divide and conquer" and the Conservative leader's as "divide and be conquered." Speaking outside the governor general's residence in the capital Ottawa, Mr. Carney wanted to have a strong mandate from the people to deal with the policies of the neighboring country and build a strong economy and security.

"President Trump thinks Canada is not a real country. He wants to break us up so the United States can own us. We're not going to let that happen," the prime minister said. Carney, who served as governor of the Bank of Canada during the global financial crisis and governor of the Bank of England during Brexit, has pledged to cut income tax by 1 percentage point for the lowest income group. However, Carney, 60, has never run for office, while Poilievre, 46, is a seasoned politician who has run for seven elections. Speaking at the White House last week, Trump said he "didn't care" who won the election in Canada.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tong-thong-trump-phu-bong-bau-cu-canada-185250324212304298.htm