Canada’s PM Mark Carney wins election with a mission to challenge Trump

Millions of Canadians went to the polls on Monday to vote in a momentous election, perhaps the most decisive one in recent history. For the majority of the 28.5 million registered voters, it was not so much about choosing candidates and political acronyms as it was about reaffirming themselves as a nation against Donald Trump’s repeated threats. More than a ballot, it was an existential challenge that galvanized Canadians and sent a clear message: the importance of casting a vote for the candidate most capable of stopping the U.S. president in his tracks. In a reversal of what polls had been showing just a few months ago, when the Conservatives were leading in voting intention, Canadians awarded victory to the Liberal Party led by Prime Minister Mark Carney.

“When I sit down with President Trump, it will be to discuss the future economic and strategic relationship between two sovereign nations and it will be with full knowledge that we have many other options to build prosperity for all Canadians,” said Carney in an acceptance speech late on Monday. “As I’ve been warning for months, America wants our land, our resources, our water, our country. President Trump is trying to break us so he can own us. That will never, ever happen.”

With an absolute majority in the House of Commons set at 172 seats, the provisional results, with 90% of the votes counted, give the Liberals 164 seats, the Conservatives 147, the pro-sovereignty Bloc Québécois 24, the New Democrats 9, and the Green Party 1. The results were in flux for much of the night, causing nervous moments at the Liberals’ headquarters in Ottawa.

Carney, who replaced Justin Trudeau as leader of the Liberals and as prime minister in March, will be in charge of dealing with the U.S. president, in whose shadow the campaign has unfolded. Trump, in addition to imposing onerous tariffs and threatening to annex Canada as the country’s 51st state, took it upon himself to emphasize the importance of the election, mocking Canada once again just hours before the polls opened. In a message on his Truth Social platform, the U.S. president wished “good luck to the Great people of Canada” and suggested Canadians should vote for him. “Elect the man who has the strength and wisdom to cut your taxes in half, increase your military power, for free, to the highest level in the World, have your Car, Steel, Aluminum, Lumber, Energy, and all other businesses, QUADRUPLE in size, WITH ZERO TARIFFS OR TAXES, if Canada becomes the cherished 51st State of the United States of America.” His comments were roundly rejected by Carney and by the conservative candidate Pierre Poilievre, who, despite sharing the Republican’s ideology, asked him not to interfere in Canada’s internal affairs.

The transfer of votes to Carney from third parties, namely the Bloc Québécois and, above all, the social-democratic NDP, explains the radical turn of events in just 36 days of campaigning, as polls in February showed a 25-point lead for the Conservatives and a resounding defeat for the Liberals. The smaller parties have weathered the loss of votes better than expected.

Mike, a middle-aged architect who has traditionally voted for the New Democrats — to the left of the Liberals — has put his trust in Carney this time. “There have been historic elections in this country, but none as defining as this one. It’s about rethinking the country we are and our place in the world. We were too dependent on the U.S., living in its shadow, but we’ve realized we can’t trust them. We have to look to Europe, to Asia,” he said at midday after voting in a small Presbyterian church in downtown Ottawa. “Mine isn’t a useful vote, but a convinced one. The only strong leader capable of responding to the existential threat looming over Canada is Carney. We are a country with enormous resources and highly educated people; we will overcome the difficulties, without a doubt. But the first thing is to show strength” against the U.S., he added.

Mohem, a young man voting at Ottawa City Hall, explained, without revealing who he voted for, what motivated him to go to the polls: “Voting in these elections is a matter of national and strategic security, not a political choice. We have to show the U.S. that we will not back down in the face of threats. Any election matters, but these matter more than ever because they define our resilience.”

“This is no time for experiments”

Vincent, a retired architect who voted at a polling station east of Montreal, said he had been hesitating for several weeks between the New Democrats and the Liberals. “But it became clear to me that this is no time for experiments. Carney knows economic issues better. We need his expertise to confront Trump.”

Carney, who also won his constituency seat — unlike Poilievre, who lost his — ran a campaign based primarily on his economic and business credentials, politically refocusing the party in an attempt to appeal to disaffected voters on both sides. In some areas, such as his initiatives to address the severe housing crisis or energy diversification, his platform resembles that of the Conservatives, whom he has infuriated by adopting their proposals, such as the elimination of an unpopular carbon tax. But the sound and fury unleashed by Trump has meant that no one paid much attention to the fine print because it was, above all, about choosing the gladiator who will face the beast.

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