Canadian leader calls for April elections

Prime Minister Mark Carney on Sunday asked Gov. General Mary Simon to dissolve parliament and schedule a federal election for April 28. Simon approved Carney’s request. The next election was not scheduled to take place until October, but Carney said he needed a strong mandate from the people to lead amid the intensifying tariff war with the United States.

Canada’s ruling Liberal Party earlier this month elected Carney to serve as prime minister after Justin Trudeau stepped down. Carney has never been elected to a public office and is a former central banker who has made strengthening Canada’s economy a key component of his election campaign. He is also advocating for more housing to combat what he characterizes as the country’s affordability crisis and ending the consumer carbon tax.

Who will Carney face in the election? Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre is attempting to end nearly a decade of Liberal Party rule in Canada. Poilievre is a current member of parliament and has been elected to the position seven consecutive times. He is campaigning on a platform of prioritizing the Canadian economy, limiting immigration, curbing crime, and increasing domestic job opportunities in the energy sector.

How do Canadian elections work? Citizens do not cast ballots for a prime minister directly and instead vote for one of 343 representatives in the House of Commons. Whichever political party receives the most seats in the House forms a government and selects a leader of their party to become prime minister. Members of the Senate are not elected and are appointed by the governor general.

Dig deeper: Read my report about Carney winning the election to replace Trudeau.