Mark Carney began his bid for election with a stark warning that U.S. President Donald Trump is serious about wanting to annex Canada, launching his effort to convince Canadians he can protect the country from U.S. aggression.
Carney, who was sworn in as Canada’s prime minister on March 14, called a national election on Sunday for April 28, then flew from Ottawa to the easternmost city in North America to begin his campaign.
“Donald Trump wants to break us so America can own us,” the central banker-turned-politician told hundreds of Liberal Party supporters at a nighttime rally in the working-class port city of St. John’s, Newfoundland.
“It is our strength that the Americans want,” he said. “They want our resources, they want our water, they want our land, they want our country. They can’t have it.”
The former Goldman Sachs banker pounded the theme of standing up to Trump, speaking at a podium emblazoned with his campaign slogan: Canada Strong. He described the upcoming vote as “the most consequential election of our lifetimes.”
Trump launched a trade war against Canada and Mexico shortly after his inauguration and has repeatedly said he believes it should be part of the US — even telling Fox News last week that Canada was “meant to be the 51st state.” Canadians disagree: one recent poll found that 90% would vote against joining the US.
US threats against Canada’s economy and sovereignty have become the major issue in the country, and Carney is attempting to portray Pierre Poilievre, his Conservative Party opponent, as a Trump acolyte. A Liberal attack ad shows clips of Poilievre using some of Trump’s favorite phrases, such as “fake news” and “radical leftist.”
“A person who worships Donald Trump, like Pierre Poilievre, will kneel down before him, not stand up to him,” Carney told supporters.
The Liberal leader was speaking in a region that has seen a huge surge of support for his party — a remarkable turnaround in recent months.
When Justin Trudeau resigned as prime minister in early January, the Liberals trailed the Conservatives in the four provinces of Atlantic Canada by about 20 percentage points and appeared on track for an electoral wipeout. Now, according to the poll aggregator 338 Canada, the Liberals have reversed that and hold their own lead of about 20 points in the eastern region.
On Monday, Carney will visit to Gander, Newfoundland, which hosted military operations for the Canadian and US air forces in World War Two. It then became famous as the remote town that hosted thousands of Americans and other travelers who were forced to land there after terrorists struck the US on Sept. 11, 2001.
Carney’s campaign will use the Gander stop to highlight the deep history of cooperation between Canada and the US and how Trump is harming the goodwill that exists between the two nations through tariffs and annexation threats.
Public opinion surveys suggest it’s a tight race between the Liberals and the Conservatives, who’ve been out of power for nearly a decade. While the Conservatives have lost what was a huge polling advantage, polls also say Poilievre maintains a lot of credibility among voters on core economic issues.
Poilievre’s party adopted a new slogan — “Canada First” — and the 45-year-old politician says the Liberals don’t deserve a fourth straight election victory after Trudeau presided over a spike in inflation, mistakes in immigration policy and a period of declining economic output per capita. A Conservative government, he said, will prioritize economic growth, including rapid development of energy projects, that will help Canada become less reliant on trade with the US.
“I know a lot of people are worried, angry and anxious, and with good reason as a result of the president’s unacceptable threats against our country,” Poilievre said Sunday in Gatineau, Quebec. “I share your anger and I share the worry for our future. But I also draw great resolve in knowing that we can transform the anxiety and anger into action.”
Frederic Boily, a University of Alberta political scientist, said that Poilievre shouldn’t completely shift his agenda to talking about Trump, with much of his support among the working class. “He can’t completely ignore issues that may seem more down to earth, but which actually affect Canadians’ wallets, such as the housing crisis.”
Boily said Poilievre has to find a way to link the US’s threats to affordability issues, while toning down his attacks on Carney — such as labeling him as “sneaky.”
“Otherwise, he’ll look like Trump,” Boily said.
Poilievre is scheduled to appear at a packaging plant in a Toronto suburb on Monday, and said in a social media post that a Conservative government plans to cut income taxes by C$1,800 for a couple where each person earns an average income.
A poll by Leger Marketing suggests Poilievre ranks better than Carney with voters on questions of who is the better leader to strengthen Canada’s armed forces and reduce government spending. Carney had the advantage on who is best to boost the economy and manage the relationship with Trump.
Male voters have a more favorable impression of Poilievre than female voters do, the Leger survey found.
One question mark is how Carney — who’s never been in political office before — will manage his first-ever national election campaign. While he has had a high profile among economists and businesspeople, owing to his time as governor of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, he’s not particularly well-known among the Canadian public.
During the two-month Liberal leadership race, Carney “was not really tested, and basically sailed toward victory,” McGill University political scientist Daniel Beland said. “The Conservatives are waiting for him to fall into a trap.” Carney’s refusal to publicly disclose his financial holdings, which are in a blind trust, has already emerged as a vulnerable point — Carney has gotten into testy exchanges with journalists on the subject.
“The discussion about these assets is something that is likely to linger throughout the campaign,” said Beland. “He needs to show that he can respond to criticism in a way that it doesn’t convey arrogance on his part.”
Carney was chair of Brookfield Asset Management Ltd., a huge global investment firm, but the company made only minimal disclosure about his compensation or his financial interests. He resigned from Brookfield and his other corporate roles, including as chair of Bloomberg Inc., when he entered the Liberal race in January.
With assistance from Laura Dhillon Kane.
Brian Platt and Mathieu Dion, Bloomberg News
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