TORONTO (AP) \u2014 Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney\u2019s Liberal Party has won the federal election, capping a stunning turnaround in fortunes fueled by U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s annexation threats and trade war.<\/p>\n
Carney’s rival, populist Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, was voted out of his seat in Parliament, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation projected Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The loss of his seat representing his Ottawa district in Monday\u2019s election capped a swift decline in fortunes for the firebrand Poilievre, who a few months ago appeared to be a shoo-in to become Canada\u2019s next prime minister and shepherd the Conservatives back into power for the first time in a decade.<\/p>\n
But then Trump launched a trade war with Canada and suggested the country should become the 51st state, outraging voters and upending the election.<\/p>\n
Poilievre, a career politician, campaigned with Trump-like bravado, taking a page from the \u201cAmerica First\u201d president by adopting the slogan \u201cCanada First.\u201d But his similarities to Trump may have ultimately cost him and his party.<\/p>\n
The Liberals were projected to win more of Parliament\u2019s 343 seats than the Conservatives. It wasn\u2019t immediately clear if they would win an outright majority \u2014 at least 172 \u2014 or would need to rely on a smaller party to pass legislation and remain in power.<\/p>\n
Elections Canada said it has decided to pause counting of special ballots \u2014 cast by voters who are away from their districts during the election \u2014 until later Tuesday morning. The Liberals were leading or elected in 168 seats when the counting was paused, four short of a majority. Elections Canada estimated that the uncounted votes could affect the result in about a dozen districts.<\/p>\n
The decision means Canadians won\u2019t know until later in the day whether Carney\u2019s Liberals have won a minority or majority mandate.<\/p>\n
In a victory speech, Carney stressed the importance of unity in the face of Washington\u2019s threats. He also said the mutually beneficial system Canada and the U.S. had shared since World War II had ended.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are over the shock of the American betrayal, but we should never forget the lessons,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs I\u2019ve been warning for months, America wants our land, our resources, our water, our country,\u201d Carney added. \u201cThese are not idle threats. President Trump is trying to break us so America can own us. That will never … ever happen. But we also must recognize the reality that our world has fundamentally changed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Poilievre hoped to make the election a referendum on former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose popularity declined toward the end of his decade in power as food and housing prices rose.<\/p>\n
But Trump attacked, Trudeau resigned and Carney, a two-time central banker, became the Liberal Party\u2019s leader and prime minister.<\/p>\n
In a concession speech before the race call on his own seat, Poilievre vowed to keep fighting for Canadians.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are cognizant of the fact that we didn\u2019t get over the finish line yet,\u201d Poilievre told supporters. \u201cWe know that change is needed, but change is hard to come by. It takes time. It takes work. And that\u2019s why we have to learn the lessons of tonight \u2014 so that we can have an even better result the next time Canadians decide the future of the country.\u201d<\/p>\n
Poilievre can still lead the Conservative Party.<\/p>\n
Even with Canadians grappling with the fallout from a deadly weekend attack at a Vancouver street festival, Trump was trolling them on election day, suggesting again on social media that Canada should become the 51st state and saying he was on their ballot. He also erroneously claimed that the U.S. subsidizes Canada, writing, \u201cIt makes no sense unless Canada is a State!\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s truculence has infuriated Canadians, leading many to cancel U.S. vacations, refuse to buy American goods and possibly even vote early. A record 7.3 million Canadians cast ballots before election day.<\/p>\n
Reid Warren, a Toronto resident, said he voted Liberal because Poilievre \u201csounds like mini-Trump to me.\u201d He said Trump\u2019s tariffs are a worry.<\/p>\n
\u201cCanadians coming together from, you know, all the shade being thrown from the States is great, but it\u2019s definitely created some turmoil, that\u2019s for sure,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Historian Robert Bothwell said Poilievre appealed to the \u201csame sense of grievance\u201d as Trump, but that it ultimately worked against him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Liberals ought to pay him,\u201d Bothwell said, referring to the U.S. president. \u201cTrump talking is not good for the Conservatives.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carney and the Liberals secured a new term, but they have daunting challenges ahead.<\/p>\n
If they don\u2019t win a majority in Parliament, the Liberals might need rely on one of the smaller parties. The Bloc Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois, which looked set to finish third, is a separatist party from French-speaking Quebec that seeks independence. Trudeau\u2019s Liberals relied on the New Democrats to remain in power for four years, but the progressive party fared poorly on Monday and its leader, Jagmeet Singh, said he was stepping down after eight years in charge.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a dramatic comeback, but if the Liberals cannot win a majority of seats, political uncertainty in a new minority Parliament could complicate things for them,\u201d said McGill University political science professor Daniel B\u00e9land.<\/p>\n
Foreign policy hasn’t dominated a Canadian election this much since 1988, when, ironically, free trade with the United States was the prevailing issue.<\/p>\n
In addition to the trade war with the U.S. and frosty relationship with Trump, Canada is dealing with a cost-of-living crisis. And more than 75% of its exports go to the U.S., so Trump\u2019s tariffs threat and his desire to get North American automakers to move Canada\u2019s production south could severely damage the Canadian economy.<\/p>\n
While campaigning, Carney vowed that every dollar the government collects from counter-tariffs on U.S. goods will go toward Canadian workers who are adversely affected by the trade war. He also said he plans to keep dental care in place, offer a middle-class tax cut, return immigration to sustainable levels and increase funding to Canada\u2019s public broadcaster, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
Associated Press reporter Mike Householder contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TORONTO (AP) \u2014 Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney\u2019s Liberal Party has won the federal election, capping a stunning turnaround in fortunes fueled by U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s annexation threats and<\/p>\n