Canada | Canada's Liberals win election

Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberal Party has won Canada's parliamentary election. The Liberals secured the most votes in Monday's vote, which was overshadowed by US President Donald Trump's threats against Canada, but apparently fell short of an absolute majority in Parliament. Carney called on his country to stand united against the US. Canada must "never forget the lessons" of the US "betrayal," he said in his victory speech in Ottawa on Tuesday.

According to projections, Carney's Liberals finished ahead of the Conservatives of Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre, who conceded his election defeat and pledged to work with Carney. The Liberals won a majority in 2015 but have been governing with a minority government since 2019.

Congratulations for Carney have already poured in from abroad. In addition to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also offered their congratulations. China signaled its willingness to improve relations with Canada, which have been strained for years.

The general election took place against the backdrop of the US's aggressive tariff policy and Trump's threats to make Canada the 51st US state. Shortly after the polls opened, Trump repeated similar statements on his online service, Truth Social. Carney and Poilievre strongly rejected these claims.

"Our former relationship with the United States is over" because "President Trump is trying to break us in order to own us," Carney said in his victory speech. "We will win this trade war," he added. At the same time, he prepared Canadians for challenging times ahead. "Difficult months" lie ahead, "which will require sacrifice."

Opposition leader Poilievre announced that his party would "work with the Prime Minister and all parties to defend Canada's interests and achieve a new trade agreement that leaves these tariffs behind and protects our sovereignty."

Carney and his Liberal Party entered the race as the favorite. The governing party was currently polling almost four points ahead of the Conservatives, who had long been ahead of the Liberals in the polls. However, Trump's aggressive Canada policy led to a spectacular reversal of opinion in recent months.

Carney, who has been in power since mid-March – a fellow party member and successor to the long-serving, resigned Prime Minister Justin Trudeau – focused his campaign entirely on Trump. The 60-year-old presented himself as the best candidate to take on the US president. He distanced himself from his predecessor Trudeau throughout the entire campaign.

Canada's Minister of Culture Steven Guilbeault said Trump's "numerous attacks" on the Canadian economy and "our sovereignty" contributed to the Liberals' election victory.

Carney began his career as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs in New York, London, Tokyo, and Toronto. From 2008 to 2013, initially during the global financial crisis, he headed the Reserve Bank of Canada. He then became head of the Bank of England—the first foreigner in Britain's history to do so, and just during the turmoil surrounding Brexit. Later, Carney also served as the UN Special Envoy for Climate Change Financing. AFP/nd