Mark Carney Leads Liberals to Potential Victory as Trump’s Remarks Fuel Nationalist Backlash
Liberals Set to Form Minority Government as Canadians Head to the Polls Amid Cross-Border Tensions
Canada’s federal election concluded Monday, with preliminary projections indicating that the ruling Liberal Party, now led by Prime Minister Mark Carney, is poised to form a minority government. Despite falling short of a majority, early counts from national broadcasters CTV and CBC suggest the Liberals are ahead in 155 of 343 ridings, narrowly outpacing the Conservative Party under Pierre Poilievre, which trails with 149 seats.
The Bloc Québécois, led by Yves-François Blanchet, is expected to secure 26 seats, while the New Democratic Party (NDP), led by Jagmeet Singh, holds 11. A party needs 172 seats for a majority in the House of Commons.
Carney, who replaced Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister just weeks ago, had sought a strong mandate to face renewed economic and diplomatic pressure from the United States. On election day, US President Donald Trump stoked controversy by suggesting Canada should become the 51st US state—a provocative statement that was swiftly condemned by Canadian leaders across the political spectrum.
“Canada will always be proud, sovereign and independent,” Poilievre said on X (formerly Twitter). Carney echoed the sentiment, stating, “This is Canada and we decide what happens here.”
The election unfolded against the backdrop of a violent weekend attack at a Vancouver street fair, which temporarily suspended campaigning and heightened national tension. Despite early polling deficits that had the Conservatives leading by over 20 points after Trudeau’s resignation announcement in January, the Liberals surged in the final weeks of the campaign. CBC’s final poll aggregator report on Sunday placed Liberal support at 42.8%, just ahead of the Conservatives at 39.2%.
Canada spans six time zones, and the final polls closed in the western provinces at 7:00 p.m. local time, with official results expected later in the evening.
This election marks a potential historic political turnaround. The Liberals, who won a majority in 2015 but governed with a minority since 2019, now look to continue under Carney’s fresh leadership amid heightened political polarization and external pressure from the US.
A record-breaking 7.3 million Canadians voted in advance polls, out of the nearly 29 million eligible voters across the country. The performance of smaller parties like the Bloc and NDP could again play a pivotal role in shaping the next Parliament and determining how Carney navigates relations with the US moving forward.
(This story is published from a syndicated feed)
