Donald Trump effect likely to dominate Canada election

Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre; (right) Canadian PM and Liberal leader Mark Carney. Pics/AFP

Donald Trump might as well be on the ballot when Canadians vote for a new government. The US president's trade war and threats to make Canada the 51st state have infuriated Canadians and led to a surge in nationalism that has helped the Liberal Party flip the narrative heading into Monday's parliamentary election, at least in opinion polls.

"Trump is the campaign," former Quebec Premier Jean Charest said. "The ballot question is who is the person we are going to choose to face Trump."

Foreign policy hasn't affected a Canadian election this much since 1988. Prime Minister Mark Carney said "We are in a crisis. President Trump is threatening Canada. This threat is not only an economic threat, it is an existential threat." Until a few months ago, Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre was seen as a shoo-in to become the next PM by shepherding his opposition faction back into power for the first time in a decade.

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