Ottawa - Agencies

The ballot boxes in the Canadian legislative elections closed on Monday evening, local time, while CBC News predicted a victory for the Liberal Party led by Mark Carney and the formation of the next government. The network indicated that it is still too early to determine whether the Liberals will form a majority or minority government.

The electoral campaign was dominated by sharp economic and sovereignty issues, most notably the tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, in addition to his controversial statements about the possibility of using "economic power" to annex Canada and make it the fifty-first U.S. state. Trump also threatened last week to raise tariffs by 25% on Canadian-made cars, considering that the United States "doesn't want these cars."

These provocative statements sparked a wave of Canadian national sentiment, which helped boost support for Mark Carney, who focused in his campaign on highlighting his extensive economic experience, asserting that his experience in managing financial crises makes him the ideal leader to face Trump’s challenges.

Carney had briefly suspended his campaign following the tragic hit-and-run incident that took place in Vancouver on Sunday, which resulted in the deaths of at least 11 people and dozens injured during a celebration for the Filipino community. Both Carney and Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre addressed the incident in the final events of their campaigns, expressing their solidarity with the victims.

It is worth noting that the Canadian economy has seen a slow recovery recently, before its trade relations with the United States faced additional pressure due to the protectionist policies pursued by the White House. In this context, Carney sought to distance himself from the legacy of former Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose popularity had significantly declined before he announced his resignation earlier this year after nearly a decade in power, at a time when the Conservatives were leading the Liberals by about 20 percentage points in the polls.

However, Carney was able to re-energize the Liberal base, benefiting from the surge in national sentiment and fears of American threats, which allowed him to narrow the gap with the Conservatives and even surpass them as Election Day approached.