Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney’s Liberal Party
has won the federal election, capping a stunning turnaround in fortunes fueled
by U.S. President Donald Trump’s annexation threats and trade war.
Carney’s rival, populist Conservative Party leader,
Pierre Poilievre, was voted out of his seat in Parliament, the Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation projected on Tuesday.
The loss of his seat representing his Ottawa district
in Monday’s 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’s
next prime minister and shepherd the Conservatives back into power for the
first time in a decade.
But then Trump launched a trade war with Canada and
suggested the country should become the 51st state, outraging voters and
upending the election.
Poilievre, a career politician, campaigned with
Trump-like bravado, taking a page from the “America First president by adopting
the slogan Canada First.”
But his similarities to Trump may have ultimately cost
him and his party.
The Liberals were projected to win more of
Parliament’s 343 seats than the Conservatives.
It wasn’t immediately clear if they would win an
outright majority at least 172 or would need to rely on a smaller party to pass
legislation and remain in power.
Elections Canada said it has decided to pause counting
of special ballots cast by voters who are away from their districts during the
election 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.
The decision means Canadians won’t know until later in
the day whether Carney’s Liberals have won a minority or majority mandate.
In a victory speech, Carney stressed the importance of
unity in the face of Washington’s threats.
He also said the mutually beneficial system Canada and
the U.S. had shared since World War II had ended.
“We are over the shock of the American betrayal, but
we should never forget the lessons.
“As I’ve been warning for months, America wants our
land, our resources, our water, our country.
“These 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
recognise the reality that our world has fundamentally changed,” Carney added.
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