The White House has taunted Mark Carney over Donald Trump’s desire to turn Canada into America’s 51st state, saying a remarkable election result does not change that plan – even as Mr Trump himself congratulated the Canadian prime minister on his victory.
Mr Carney’s Liberal Party won following a campaign dominated by the US president’s trade war, but short of gaining an outright majority in parliament which will force Mr Carney to seek the backing of at least one minor party.
During a phone call, Mr Trump congratulated Mr Carney and the pair “agreed on the importance of Canada and the United States working together – as independent, sovereign nations – for their mutual betterment”, according to the Canadian prime minister’s office.
The two leaders also agreed to meet in person in the near future.
Yet at the same time, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said that the election “does not affect President Trump’s plan to make Canada America’s cherished 51st state”.
In his victory speech in Ottawa, Mr Carney declared that Mr Trump “is trying to break us so America can own us. That will never happen.”
Canada’s election in numbers
Prime Minister Mark Carney helped drive the Liberal Party to an astonishing election win in Canada on Monday, after polls just months ago had the Conservative party in a decisive lead.
But the Liberal Party has failed to pick up enough seats to govern in an outright majority. Here’s the latest count tally:
Analysis: What Mark Carney’s Canadian election win means for Europe
Katerina Sviderska and Leandre Benoit write that Canada’s election carries significant implications for its international partnerships amid rising geopolitical uncertainty.
More Canadians than ever turned out to vote
Nearly 19.6 million Canadians voted in the federal election, a voter turnout rate of almost 68.7 per cent and the highest turnout ever, according to the country’s election agency.
Elections Canada said more than 11 million Canadians voted on Monday across teh country’s 65,000 polling booths, while nearly 7.3 million voted ahead of election day.
“I want to thank the some 230,000 people who helped deliver the election,” Canada’s chief electoral officer Stephane Perrault said.
“Whether electors voted on election day or earlier at advance polls or by special ballot, election workers were there to serve them and to ensure that the integrity and secrecy of the vote was upheld.”
Analysis: With Canada’s electoral rebuke, has Trump’s bluster reached it’s expiration point?
On Monday night, Canada delivered a resounding rebuke of the United States and Donald Trump’s trade agenda, leaving the end of his trade war appearing further away than ever.
As John Bowden writes, Trump and his aides are now facing pressure to prove that any positive outcomes are developing from his protectionist stance.
Trump bragged that he hurt Pierre Poilievre in Canadian election
Even though his support was the kiss of death to Canada’s conservatives, Donald Trump himself apparently couldn’t help taking credit.
“You know, until I came along, remember that the conservative was leading by 25 points,” the mercurial president admitted and/or boasted in an interview with The Atlantic published on Monday.
“Then I was disliked by enough of the Canadians that I’ve thrown the election into a close call, right? I don’t even know if it’s a close call,” he added.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre had just months ago been tipped to win the Canadian election, but that was before Trump’s tariff war and his threats to turn the nation into the 51st American state.
Main takeaways from Canadian election
Canadians went to the polls on Monday to vote in an election overshadowed by US President Donald Trump. Here are the main takeaways.
Mark Carney wins election
In a remarkable result the Liberal Party has won the most seats and will form government, with Mark Carney claiming victory on Monday night.
The official vote tally shows the Liberal Party has won 169 seats, just three short of the number required to win majority government in their own right.
Two party leaders lose their seats
In a stunning shift, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre went from prime-minister-in-waiting with significant polling leads just months ago to losing his seat to Liberal candidate Bruce Fanjoy.
New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh has also lost his seat, to Conservative James Yan.
Minority government will require minor party support
Mark Carney will need to negotiate with minor parties to ensure a governing majority. The leader of separatist party Bloc Quebec has already signalled his willingness to potentially support the Liberal Party.
Bloc Quebec won 22 seats in the election, making it the third-largest party in Canada.
Who is Mark Carney?
Prime minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party won Canada’s federal election on Monday, capping a stunning turnaround in fortunes fuelled by US president Donald Trump’s annexation threats and trade war.
Carney’s Liberals were projected by Canadian broadcasters to form a minority government. His party secured a dramatic fourth-straight term amid rising nationalist sentiment sparked by Trump’s threats to Canada’s economy and sovereignty.
In recent months, the former governor of the UK’s Bank of England has had to fight a war on two fronts.
To the south he has had to contend with the Trump administration, which threatened then postponed crippling 25 per cent tariffs on Canada, as well as taunted the country with the outlandish possibility of making it the 51st US state.
More here.
In case you missed it: watch Mark Carney’s victory speech highlights
In his victory speech, Mark Carney said his government will prepare for the worst, warning that America wants Canada’s land and resources.
Minor party leader signals support for Carney government
The leader of one of Canada’s minor parties and one of the few leaders to retain his seat has signalled his willingness to support Mark Carney’s government.
The Liberal Party won the most seats of any party in the Canadian election, but fell three seats short of an outright majority.
The Liberal Party has won 169 of the House of Commons’s 343 seats, followed by the Conservatives with 144.
Bloc Quebecois, a separatist party from the French-speaking province, has come third with 22 seats.
Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-Francois Blanchet said he was open to working with the government for a year if it was a minority.
“The last thing that the Quebec people and Canada people want is instability in the federal Parliament,” he said.
Under former prime minister Justin Trudeau, the Liberals relied on the New Democratic Party to remain in power, but the party fared poorly on Monday and its leader Jagmeet Singh lost his seat.
Trump and Carney agree to meet
Mark Carney and Donald Trump agreed to meet in person in a phone conversation following the Liberal leader’s election win.
In a readout of the Tuesday phone call, the prime minister’s office said the US president congratulated Mr Carney on his election victory.
“The leaders agreed on the importance of Canada and the United States working together – as independent, sovereign nations – for their mutual betterment,” the readout said.
“To that end, the leaders agreed to meet in person in the near future.”
Source: independent.co.uk
