New Canadian PM set to call snap election for late April

New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to call a snap election for 28 April, triggering an intense campaign dominated by how to react to US President Donald Trump's trade war and demands to turn Canada into a 51st state.

Mr Carney, who replaced prime minister Justin Trudeau just last week, is set to announce the election date on Sunday, two government sources told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The quick election announcement reflects Mr Carney's wish to capitalise on a polling surge for his Liberal Party, driven in large part by the US tariffs and Mr Trump's unprecedented and repeated statements that Canada should not remain an independent country.

At the start of the year - just before Mr Trump took office - the Liberals had appeared headed for an electoral wipeout, with the opposition Conservatives on track to form the next government.

Amid relentless pressure from Mr Trump and internal Liberal Party divisions, Mr Trudeau announced his plans resign after nearly a decade in power.

However, Mr Carney, who overwhelmingly won the 9 March party vote to replace Mr Trudeau, has succeeded in uniting the Liberals as they confront Mr Trump and fears of trade-war-induced recession.

Political novice

This will be the first campaign for Mr Carney, a 60-year-old former central banker who has never held elected office.

He argues that his experience leading the Bank of Canada through the 2008-2009 financial crisis and as head of the Bank of England during Brexit makes him the ideal candidate to lead during a time of economic turmoil.

Mr Carney has called Mr Trump's US a country Canada can "no longer trust" and warned Canadians that relations with the United States may be permanently altered.

After being sworn in on Friday, Mr Carney quickly headed to Paris and London, arguing Canada needed to solidify its European alliances as ties with the US deteriorate.

"What is clear is that our trade and our security relations are too reliant on the United States. We must diversify," he said in London.

Polling surge

The Conservatives had been seeing a rise in polling numbers over the past year and their leader Pierre Poilievre looked on track to be prime minister.

However, recent surveys show the race will be a dead heat.

The Liberal polling gains have in part come at the expense of the left-wing New Democrats, who progressive voters often trust on domestic issues like healthcare but are not widely seen as strong in managing relations with the US.

Queen's University politics professor Stéphanie Chouinard told AFP the election call was expected, with the Liberals making gains, but noted "there is still uncertainty around Mark Carney, who has never campaigned."

"It's going to be a test in difficult conditions for him," she added.

Maple MAGA

The polling suggests some voters are less comfortable backing Mr Poilievre as a counter to Mr Trump.

The Tory leader has been praised on social media by key Trump ally Elon Musk, and some Liberals have sought to brand Poilievre as "Maple Syrup MAGA."

But Poilievre is a seasoned politician who has sought to distance himself from Trump.

Mr Trump appears to have noticed, claiming the Canadian Conservative is "stupidly no friend of mine."

At a campaign-style event in Jonquière, Québec, Mr Poilievre told reporters Canada "needs a strong leader," and added that his plan is to "make the economy less dependent on the United States and put Canada first."

He did not mention Mr Trump, however.

University of Ottawa politics professor Geneviève Tellier said that both the Conservatives and the New Democrats "will try to focus on issues other than Mr Trump's threats because that favours the Liberals for now."

"It's an incredible turnaround for the Liberals," she told AFP, noting Canadians are "also looking for a certain stability" and may see the Liberals, in power since 2015, as less of a risk.