Carney, who was picked to take over the leadership of the Liberals in March, reaped the benefits of Trump’s adversarial stance toward the neighbouring country.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, the leader of the Liberal Party, on Monday won the country’s general election — a race dominated by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Carney, who was picked to take over the leadership of the Liberals in March following a party leadership contest triggered by the resignation of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, seems to have reaped the benefits of Trump’s adversarial stance toward the neighbouring country.
Trump’s calls for Canada to become the 51st U.S. state and his tariffs against the country reversed the fortunes of the Liberals, who trailed the Conservatives led by career politician Pierre Poilievre by over 20 percentage points in December, according to The Economist, prompting the stunning turnaround.
Even on Monday, Trump made a baffling post on his Truth Social platform, suggesting that Canadian voters should elect him leader even though his name was not even on the ballot. Besides, the overwhelming majority of Canadians oppose the prospect of joining the U.S., polls show.
Poilievre had hoped to seize on Trudeau’s unpopularity and capitalise on issues such as inflation and immigration, which dominated voters’ minds prior to Trump becoming the X factor of the election. However, some voters appeared to worry that Poilievre’s style was too similar to Trump’s — a perception amplified by ads run by the Liberals with the aim of tying him to the U.S. president. Trudeau’s resignation also seems to have helped Liberals close the gap.
Carney, a former governor of the Bank of England and the Bank of Canada, had no political experience before taking over the leadership of his party earlier this year.
Source: Huff Post
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