New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and his Conservative opponent will kick off their election campaigns on Sunday against the backdrop of a trade war and annexation threats from US President Donald Trump.
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Carney will trigger a five-week election campaign on Sunday, before the vote on April 28, when he visits at midday Governor-General Mary Simon – who holds a constitutional and ceremonial role as the representative of Canada’s head of state, King Charles III – to request the Parliament be dissolved, an official familiar with the matter said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak publicly ahead of the announcement.
The election campaign for 343 seats or districts in the House of Commons will last 37 days. While other parties are running, the Liberals and the Conservatives are the only two that have a chance to form government. The party that commands a majority in Parliament, either alone or with the support of another party, will form the next government and its leader will be prime minister.
The governing Liberals had appeared poised for a historic election defeat this year until Trump declared a trade war. Trump has repeatedly said that Canada should become the 51st US state and he acknowledged on Friday that he has upended Canadian politics.
Trump’s almost daily attacks on Canada’s sovereignty have infuriated Canadians and led to a surge in Canadian nationalism that has bolstered Liberal poll numbers.
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Carney replaced Justin Trudeau, who announced his resignation in January, but remained in power until the Liberal Party elected a new leader on March 9 following a leadership race by the governing party.
