Canada’s new PM Mark Carney calls snap election as he lashes out at Trump over tariff war & 51st state takeover plan
CANADIAN Prime Minister Mark Carney has called a snap election as he fights for a “strong” Canada against further threats from Donald Trump.
Speaking at a press conference in Ottawa, the PM who entered office for two weeks has said the country will have an election on April 28.
“I’ve just requested that the governor general dissolve parliament and call an election for April 28. She has agreed,” he told reporters.
He said that Canada “needs to take action” to fight the US as Donald Trump threatens the nation with steep tariffs and claims to turn the country into the 51st state.
Carney called the election saying he wants a “strong, positive mandate from my fellow Canadians.”
“There is so much more to do to secure Canada,” he added.
The Prime Minister called the threat of a US trade war one of the “most significant of our lifetimes”.
“Trump want’s to break us so America will own us.
“We will not let that happen.”
Carney, who was the former Bank of England chief, warned minutes after winning the vote on March 8, that Canada would “demand respect” from the US and that its neighbor could not be trusted.
His stance towards America saw him gain a wealth of support ahead of the party vote that began on February 26.
The political novice was the front-runner for the PM role after Trudeau announced his resignation in January as he faced a crushing election defeat.
He received a slew of support including endorsements from the majority of Trudeau’s cabinet.
Responding to the fierce cross-border feud following Trump’s 51st state threats, Carney said: “We didn’t ask for this fight, but Canadians are always ready when someone else drops the gloves.
“The Americans should make no mistake – in trade, as in hockey, Canada will win.
“The Americans want our resources, our water, our land, our country.”
At his final rally before being elected, the former governor accused the US president of “attacking” Canada.
On multiple occasions, Trump said that it would be a “great idea” to make Canada the 51st state of the US.
Carney said: “He is attacking what we build. He is attacking what we sell. He is attacking how we earn our living.
“We are facing the most serious crisis in our lifetime. Everything in my life has prepared me for this moment.”
It comes as no surprise that Carney has called an election with either he or the opposition parties in Parliament forcing one with a no-confidence vote.
Another key issue plaguing Canada is the threat of Trump’s tariffs.
He threatened Canada with historic financial punishment earlier this month after they threatened to impose their own 25 per cent tariffs on electricity in three US states.
The brewing trade war between the two neighbouring countries deepened this week after Trump doubled the 25 per cent levy on Canadian steel and aluminium.
It came in response to the Ontario government’s threat of an electricity surcharge.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford soon said he was temporarily suspending his province’s planned purchase on electricity exported to the US after Trump’s fiery response.
Ford made a U-turn on the threats after US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick agreed to go back to the table on trade talks.
Will Canada ever really become the 51st state?
The President took a jab at the former Canadian leader Justin Trudeau in December, in a social media post where he called him the “governor” of the “Great State of Canada”.
According to The New York Times, in a call between Trudeau and Trump, the Don said he “did not believe that the treaty that demarcates the border between the two countries was valid”, and that he wanted to “revise” the boundary.
The border treaty was established in 1908 and confirmed the international border between Canada, then a British dominion, and the United States.
In the call, Trump also mentioned revisiting the sharing of lakes and rivers between the two countries – a subject he has brought up before in the past.
Before Trump’s inauguration, the President claimed that we planned to use “economic force” to bring Canada “to its knees”.
The Financial Times reported that White House discussions have taken place about removing Canada from the crucial intelligence alliance Five Eyes, which also includes the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
Canada’s soon to be Prime Minister Mark Carney has used this growing resentment of Trump’s statements about Canada to rally his country together.