Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney calls snap election amid tensions with U.S.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has called a snap federal election for April 28, seeking a fresh mandate less than two weeks after taking office.

The announcement, made Sunday in Ottawa, comes amid rising tensions with the United States and what Carney described as the “most significant crisis” Canada has ever faced.

“I just requested that the Governor General dissolve Parliament and call an election for April 28, and she has agreed,” Carney said during the announcement. “There is so much more to do to secure Canada, to invest in Canada, to build Canada, to unite Canada. That’s why I’m asking for a strong, positive mandate for my fellow Canadians.”

Carney, who officially became Prime Minister on March 14 following the resignation of Justin Trudeau, cited the recent actions of U.S. President Donald Trump as a driving factor for the early vote.

“We are facing the most significant crisis of our lifetimes because of President Trump’s unjustified trade actions and his threats to our sovereignty,” Carney said. “President Trump claims that Canada isn’t a real country. He wants to break us, so America can own us. We will not let that happen.”

Trump has recently threatened to impose tariffs on Canadian imports and has repeatedly said that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state, drawing responses from Canadian officials and prompting reciprocal trade measures.

The decision to move up the election, originally scheduled for later in 2025, comes as Carney’s Liberal Party holds a favorable position in national polls, with projections suggesting a potential majority in the House of Commons.

Carney, 59, was elected leader of the Liberal Party on March 9, winning over 85 percent of the vote and defeating former finance minister Chrystia Freeland. A former governor of both the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, Carney is making his first run for elected office.

“We are over the shock of the betrayal. We should never forget the lessons,” Carney said during the announcement. “We have to look out for ourselves. We have to look out for each other.”