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Counting has begun in Canada’s nationwide election after US President Donald Trump earlier within the day urged voters to elect a frontrunner who would make the nation the US’s 51st state as “it was meant to be”.
Trump’s feedback on Monday morning adopted a marketing campaign that has been formed by his assaults on the nation’s sovereignty and his threats to hammer the US buying and selling companion with tariffs.
“America can now not subsidise Canada with the A whole lot of Billions of {Dollars} a 12 months that we now have been spending prior to now,” Trump posted on Reality Social.
Polls started to shut in jap Canada within the night, with nationwide outcomes anticipated later within the night time.
The president didn’t say who he needed to win Canada’s election, however his remark will probably be welcomed by Mark Carney’s Liberal occasion, which has made Canadian sovereignty and opposition to Trump core themes of its pitch to voters.
One Carney adviser described Trump’s put up on Reality Social, his social media platform, as a “reward”.
“The disaster in the USA doesn’t cease at their borders,” Carney mentioned in a closing election message. “However that is Canada — and we resolve what occurs right here.”
The vote on Monday has been billed in Canada as a pivotal alternative within the face of Trump’s taunts — and will probably be watched throughout the west for indicators {that a} international chief who has been vocal in opposing Trump can succeed electorally.
The query of management, fairly than occasion alternative or home politics, has dominated the competition between Prime Minister Mark Carney and the Conservative chief Pierre Poilievre, two males providing very completely different paths for Canada.
“President Trump, keep out of our election,” Poilievre posted on X on Monday morning. “We’ll NEVER be the 51st state.”
Whereas Carney has drawn on his document as a central banker as he focuses on the financial uncertainty created by Trump’s tariff, Poilievre has focused on housing costs, crime and the price of residing.
“My query to Canadians is easy: Is Pierre Poilievre the individual you need sitting throughout the desk from Donald Trump?” Carney mentioned at a rally on Saturday in King Metropolis, Ontario.
Poilievre has promoted a “widespread sense” agenda by tying Carney to the earlier Liberal prime minister Justin Trudeau, who led Canada for 9 years earlier than resigning in January.
“We can’t afford a fourth Liberal time period. We want a change,” Poilievre mentioned at a rally in British Columbia on Saturday.
Trump’s aggressive feedback on Canada and his tariffs imposed on one of many US’s closest business companions have introduced a wave of patriotism throughout the nation and reworked the race.
A as soon as sure Conservative victory beneath Poilievre has shifted to an “unpredictable contest”, with Carney’s Liberals gaining vital momentum in latest months, based on David Coletto, chief govt of Abacus polling.
“Initially centred round affordability and a widespread want for change, this marketing campaign has developed dramatically right into a referendum on stability amid international uncertainty,” Coletto mentioned.
Poilievre’s perceived likeness to Trump has been a legal responsibility as many citizens are cautious of “Maga-style” insurance policies influencing Canada.
The ultimate push by each side was derailed by the dying of 11 folks in Vancouver, on Canada’s west coast, on Saturday night time, after a person drove his automobile right into a Filipino avenue pageant. Police have dominated out terrorism. Carney quickly suspended his marketing campaign and headed to Vancouver for a gathering with the Filipino neighborhood.
The importance of this election, amplified by the stark distinction in leaders and the outstanding surge within the Liberal occasion’s recognition, is anticipated to end in excessive voter turnout.
Elections Canada, the federal government company that oversees the vote, reported {that a} document 7.3mn Canadians had already voted, a 25 per cent enhance from the earlier election in 2021.
This leaves one other 21mn registered voters to forged a poll on Monday.
On the centre of the competition is a battle for marginal seats wanted to safe the 172 ridings required to type a majority authorities.
Each the 338Canada undertaking and the Canadian Broadcasting Company’s ballot tracker, an mixture of opinion polls, present the Liberals comfortably successful.
