Pierre Poilievre and Mark Carney after their debate this month.Credit…Pool photo by Christopher Katsarov

In Canada’s election, the U.S. is front of mind

Canadians are holding parliamentary elections today to determine who will lead their government: the Liberal Party under Prime Minister Mark Carney, a former banker, or the Conservatives, led by Pierre Poilievre, a career politician on the party’s right.

One issue has consumed voters: President Trump. His tariff attack on Canada and his repeated calls for the annexation of the country as the 51st state have dominated the race.

To learn about what’s at stake, we reached out to Matina Stevis-Gridneff, our Canada bureau chief.

What are the biggest issues in the elections?

Canadians are thinking about the economy, and about Trump. The two are, to a great degree, intertwined: Canada’s economy is in a relatively weak spot as it’s getting hit by tariffs. Some voters want to punish the Liberal Party, which has been in charge for the past decade, and hold it accountable for leaving the country in a weakened spot.

Those voters are likely to cast a ballot for the Conservative Party. The Conservatives are promising change, smaller government, tax cuts and deregulation. But other voters — and polls suggest they may be the majority — are predominantly worried about how Canada stands up to the U.S. This relates to tariffs, but it extends beyond the purely economic, to the political and even existential spheres, given that Trump has threatened to annex Canada.

Voters motivated by that mind-set are likelier to pick the Liberal Party. Mark Carney is a seasoned international economic policymaker and private-sector executive, and his experience in economic turmoil has led many Canadians to believe he’s the right person to trust in this crisis.