Canadians head to polls in election upturned by Trump
Leyland Cecco
Canadians are heading to the polls in a federal election overshadowed by fury at Donald Trump’s threats to the nation’s sovereignty and fears over his escalating commerce struggle.
Within the closing days of a month-long marketing campaign – described by all celebration leaders as essentially the most consequential basic election in a lifetime – the US president but once more re-inserted himself into the nationwide dialogue, with recent threats to annex the nation.
Additionally overshadowing the ultimate day of electioneering was a deadly attack at a bustling street festival in Vancouver that left the nation reeling and compelled the prime minister, Mark Carney, to briefly droop his marketing campaign.
As lately as January, Canadian pollsters and political pundits struggled to search out recent methods to explain the grim prospects for the then prime minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal celebration, which appeared on observe for a catastrophic blowout. The celebration trailed the rival Conservatives by as many as 27 factors in some polls. The Conservative chief, Pierre Poilievre, was poised for the most important and most resounding electoral victory in additional than half a century. That energy was the results of a laser-focused, years-long marketing campaign to weaken the governing Liberals and the events that supported their minority authorities.
However Trump’s detonation of the US’s closest diplomatic and financial relationship has essentially reshaped what number of really feel about their southern neighbour and closely influenced how Carney, the previous central banker who inherited management of the Liberal celebration in mid March, has formed his electoral bid. That framing has the potential for producing a consequence that might have been unfathomable three months in the past.
Key occasions
Canada Sports Betting, a high useful resource for Canadian betting, has been up to date to indicate the Liberals because the “clear frontrunners” of this election. In response to these odds, Liberals have an 83% likelihood of victory.
Whereas the Liberals have seen a slight decline and Conservatives have seen a slight increase in odds within the days main as much as the election, the Conservative celebration continues to be trailing behind with a 23% likelihood of successful, based on the corporate.
In a brief video posted on X, prime minister Mark Carney referred to a “disaster” within the US and reminded voters of the menace to Canada’s economic system posed by Trump’s tariffs.
Carney says within the video: “I do know persons are anxious proper now. The disaster in the US doesn’t cease at their borders.
“They’ll grow to be divided and weak. However that is Canada and we determined what occurs right here. Let’s select to be united and powerful – Canada sturdy.”
Conservative celebration chief Pierre Poilievre, alongside together with his spouse, Anaida Poilievre, have solid their votes at an Ottawa polling station in Ontario, Canada.
Polls are actually formally open throughout Canada. Listed below are just a few pictures of what voting day appears to be like like.
Each liberal prime minister Mark Carney and conservative Pierre Poilievre are nonetheless doing a little final minute campaigning on social media.
Carney posted on X: “It’s time, Canada. Vote #CanadaStrong” together with a marketing campaign video.
Poilievre posted on X: “It’s easy: No vote, no change. Deliver mates, household and coworkers out to VOTE for Change. Vote Conservative.”
Conservative Pierre Poilievre tells Trump ‘keep out of our election’
Conservative Pierre Poilievre posted on X: “President Trump, keep out of our election. The one individuals who will resolve the way forward for Canada are Canadians on the poll field.
“Canada will at all times be proud, sovereign and impartial and we are going to NEVER be the 51st state.
“Right this moment Canadians can vote for change so we are able to strengthen our nation, stand on our personal two toes and stand as much as America from a place of energy.”
This publish seems to be a response to Trump’s earlier publish on Truth Social, the place he urged Canadians to make their nation the 51st US state. Canada’s sovereignty is taken into account to be on the poll because of Trump, and Poilievre is probably going searching for to distance himself from the controversial US president whom he has praised up to now.
Listed below are some footage of voters lining up outdoors a polling station in Toronto, Ontario this morning as Canada votes within the federal election.
A file variety of individuals – 7.3 million – have already voted throughout an early voting interval that was held final weekend. That topped the 5.8 million Canadians who voted early on the final federal election in 2021.
All ballots in a Canadian federal election are counted by hand in entrance of witnesses, and the ultimate outcomes are validated over a time frame then made obtainable on-line.
Nevertheless it normally turns into clear on the evening from preliminary outcomes the place one celebration appears to be like as if they’re going to achive a majority and type the following authorities, and who shall be prime minister.
Canada’s prime minister Mark Carney has arrived at Ottawa’s Worldwide airport on election morning. Yesterday he was in Vancouver attending a vigil at the scene of a car ramming attack that killed 11 individuals and injured dozens at a Filipino heritage pageant.
Trump urges Canadians to make their nation the 51st state of the US in election intervention
Donald Trump issued a press release in a single day on the eve of Canada’s election, once more threatening the nation’s impartial sovereignty, and describing the border between the 2 nations as an “artificially drawn line from a few years in the past”, in one other awkward intervention for Conservative celebration chief Pierre Poilievre.
Using the Truth Social platform, the US president began by wishing “Good luck to the nice individuals of Canada,” on the eve of the election, after which urged them to grow to be the 51st state of the US, claiming it might carry tax cuts, and elevated navy energy. He stated:
Good luck to the nice individuals of Canada. Elect the person who has the energy and knowledge to chop your taxes in half, improve your navy energy, without spending a dime, to the best stage on the earth, have your automobile, metal, aluminum, lumber, power, and all different companies, quadruple in measurement, with zero tariffs or taxes, if Canada turns into the cherished 51st state of the US. No extra artificially drawn line from a few years in the past. Look how lovely this land mass could be. Free entry with no border. All positives with no negatives. It was meant to be! America can now not subsidize Canada with the lots of of billions of {dollars} a yr that we’ve been spending up to now. It is mindless until Canada is a state!
Poilievre’s celebration had appeared all set for a big victory on the Canadian federal election based on polling earlier this yr, till Trump started issuing a collection of statements threatening Canada’s independence and starting a commerce struggle between the neighbours, which appeared to revive the fortunes of the Liberal celebration beneath lately appointed prime minister Mark Carney.
Canada’s Globe and Mail reports that for this election, authorities have despatched out a file variety of voting packs to abroad voters, together with to twenty,000 new voters residing within the US. Over 100,000 abroad voting kits have been despatched out, of which 44,623 had been returned by 26 April. On the final election about 55,000 kits had been despatched to abroad voters.
Earlier this month my colleague Leyland Cecco put collectively this complete information to at the moment’s ballot: Canada elections – who are the key players and what is at stake?
In a rustic that spans a number of time zones, the home windows of voting are set in order that outcomes will be arrived at principally on the similar time throughout the board. The voting home windows are as follows:
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Newfoundland time: 8.30am to eight.30pm
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Atlantic time: 8.30am to eight.30pm
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Jap time: 9.30am to 9.30pm
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Central time: 8.30am to eight.30pm
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Mountain time: 7.30am to 7.30pm
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Pacific time: 7am to 7pm
Leyland Cecco
Till February, the Conservatives loved a 25 level lead over the Liberals. Pollsters gave the Tories a 99% likelihood of successful if an election had been referred to as on the time with one of many largest parliamentary majorities in many years. However Donald Trump’s aggressive posture in the direction of Canada has seemingly modified all that: the Conservatives’ dominant lead has disappeared and so they discovered themselves trailing in the course of the twilight of the marketing campaign.
5 events had been represented in Canada’s parliament on the level this election was referred to as. Mark Carney’s Liberal celebration held 153 seats, shy of an general majority. Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative celebration had 120 seats, and shaped the official opposition celebration.
Bloc Québécois had 33 seats, the New Democrats (NDP) 24 seats, and the Inexperienced celebration held two seats. There have been three impartial seats and a few vacancies.
Canadians head to polls in election upturned by Trump
Leyland Cecco
Canadians are heading to the polls in a federal election overshadowed by fury at Donald Trump’s threats to the nation’s sovereignty and fears over his escalating commerce struggle.
Within the closing days of a month-long marketing campaign – described by all celebration leaders as essentially the most consequential basic election in a lifetime – the US president but once more re-inserted himself into the nationwide dialogue, with recent threats to annex the nation.
Additionally overshadowing the ultimate day of electioneering was a deadly attack at a bustling street festival in Vancouver that left the nation reeling and compelled the prime minister, Mark Carney, to briefly droop his marketing campaign.
As lately as January, Canadian pollsters and political pundits struggled to search out recent methods to explain the grim prospects for the then prime minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal celebration, which appeared on observe for a catastrophic blowout. The celebration trailed the rival Conservatives by as many as 27 factors in some polls. The Conservative chief, Pierre Poilievre, was poised for the most important and most resounding electoral victory in additional than half a century. That energy was the results of a laser-focused, years-long marketing campaign to weaken the governing Liberals and the events that supported their minority authorities.
However Trump’s detonation of the US’s closest diplomatic and financial relationship has essentially reshaped what number of really feel about their southern neighbour and closely influenced how Carney, the previous central banker who inherited management of the Liberal celebration in mid March, has formed his electoral bid. That framing has the potential for producing a consequence that might have been unfathomable three months in the past.
Welcome and opening abstract …
Welcome to the Guardian’s reside protection of at the moment’s essential election in Canada, as polls open to find out who leads the nation, with Liberal chief Mark Carney dealing with off in opposition to the Conservatives’ Pierre Poilievre to see who will emerge as prime minister …
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Carney, prime minister since March, has largely run a marketing campaign on his financial and enterprise credentials, tacking the celebration in the direction of the political centre in an try to lure in disaffected voters
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Poilievre is seen as a brash populist and seasoned parliamentary “assault canine”, whose supporters say has given a voice to those that really feel ignored and mocked by political elites
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After the resignation of Justin Trudeau earlier within the yr, and with the Conservative celebration using excessive within the polls, all of the indicators had been that the Liberals’ near-decade in energy would come to an finish. Nevertheless, the dramatic interventions of US president Donald Trump into Canadian politics has upended the election
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Canada’s federal election consists of 343 separate elections throughout the nation held concurrently. If both the Liberals or the Conservatives win 172 or extra seats, they’ll have a majority authorities. Something lower than that and they are going to be required to work with different events to go laws
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A file 7.3 million individuals have already solid their ballots over 4 days of superior voting. Canada has 28.9 million eligible voters