New Delhi: Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party cruised to victory in Canada’s federal election. The victory came following a high-stakes campaign influenced by US President Donald Trump’s renewed annexation threats and trade war rhetoric.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster, reported that the Liberals are poised to win more of Parliament’s 343 seats than the Conservatives. However, it is still not clear if they will get an outright majority. If they get a clear mandate, it will help them pass legislation without relying on backing from other parties.
Ahead of the polls, the Liberals were staring at a huge defeat. But there was turnaround after the US President launched scathing attacks on Canada’s economy and questioned its sovereignty. He even suggested that it should be annexed as the 51st state. This sparked widespread anger among Canadians and sparked a wave of nationalism that helped the Liberals shift the election narrative and win for the fourth consecutive term.
Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre of the Conservative Party had expected to turn the election into a referendum on former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose popularity saw a decline in the final years of his decade-long tenure amid spiralling food and housing costs.
As Trump’s attacks didn’t stop, Justin Trudeau was forced to quit, which gave Mark Carney — a former central banker with two terms under his belt — to take charge as leader of the Liberal Party and become the prime minister.
(With inputs from AP)
