A snap election was called in March by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. This was a result of the move to dissolve parliament and meant earlier than expected federal elections in Canada.
Canada, unlike the U.S.A.’s presidential system, has a parliamentary system of government. The head of the government, the prime minister, is usually the leader of the party with the most seats in the House of Commons, which is the lower house of parliament.
Members of Parliament are elected through federal elections. This year’s election will take place on Monday, April 28. A snap election was called by new prime minister Mark Carney after previous prime minister Justin Trudeau resigned, and the Governor General Mary Simon agreed to dissolve parliament, forcing the nation to start federal elections before the regular four-year date.
The main candidates for the federal election are liberal party leader Mark Carney, conservative party leader Pierre Poilievre, Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet, and New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh.
Carney opposes U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs against Canada: 25% on all Canadian imports. Carney stated that Trump seeks to “fundamentally change the world economy,” and that he will “fight back with counter tariffs.”
Poilievre, the leader of the conservative party, a close competitor with the liberal party, states that he has “a completely different story from Donald Trump.” With Trudeau’s resignation, Trump’s election into office, and tariffs, the support for the liberal and conservative parties has become more competitive.
One Skyline student who had visited Canada recently, requesting anonymity, stated that pricing in general “was greater,” but still “cheaper than [The U.S.] by a lot.”
Another Skyline student, a former Canadian resident, described the effects of the tariffs as simply “everything [costing] more.”
UPDATE: The article above was written before the election on April 28. The results are now in, with Mark Carney taking the victory.
For more information:
Who’s who in Canada’s federal election
Liberals lead Conservatives by 3 points on eve of federal election
Carney says lower internal trade barriers will help Canada more than Trump’s tariffs will harm it
