Canada set for snap polls on April 28 as House of Commons dissolved
ByAnirudh Bhattacharyya
Mar 23, 2025 11:23 PM IST
PM Mark Carney took to populism as he promised “big change” including a middle-class tax cut.
Toronto: Canada is set for a snap election on April 28. Prime Minister Mark Carney met the Governor General Mary Simon on Sunday morning in Ottawa and requested her to dissolve the House of Commons, precipitating the campaign to form the country’s next government.
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney announces election, after his meeting at Rideau Hall with governor general Mary Simon to dissolve parliament, in Ottawa, Ontario, on Sunday. (REUTERS)
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney announces election, after his meeting at Rideau Hall with governor general Mary Simon to dissolve parliament, in Ottawa, Ontario, on Sunday. (REUTERS)
The election will be held nearly six months ahead of the originally scheduled date of October 27.
After meeting the Governor General, Carney announced the election date. “I’m asking for a strong positive mandate from my fellow Canadians,” he said.
US President Donald Trump’s threats to Canada figured prominently in his campaign-style speech: “He wants to break us so America can own us, we will never allow that to happen.” He said he required a fresh mandate to “stand up” to Trump.
Carney took to populism as he promised “big change” including a middle-class tax cut, while repeating his reversal of several measures announced by his predecessor Justin Trudeau, including eliminating a consumer carbon tax and a capital gains hike.
Carney will make his electoral debut in the seat in the House of Commons represented by Indo-Canadian MP Chandra Arya, who’s candidacy for the 2025 election was revoked on Thursday.
That Carney will run from the riding (as a constituency is called in Canada) of Nepean in Ontario, a suburban area of the national capital Ottawa, was announced by the ruling Liberal Party on Saturday.
“We’re thrilled to announce that our Leader, Mark Carney, will be our candidate for Nepean in the next election,” the party said, in a statement. It said that Ottawa was where Carney “raised his family, devoted his career to public service, and always gave back to his community”.
The early election call was expected since Carney was selected leader of the ruling Liberal Party on March 9 and sworn in as the country’s 24th Prime Minister five days later.
The opposition Conservative Party launched its campaign on Sunday with its leader Pierre Poilievre addressing a gathering in Gatineau, Quebec. He linked Carney to his unpopular predecessor Justin Trudeau, as he said, “After the lost Liberal decade, the question is whether Canadians can afford a fourth Liberal term.”
While the Trudeau legacy will impact the ruling party, it is benefiting from the threats posed to Canada by US President Donald Trump and the immediate issue of tariffs could prove critical in deciding the election.
Arya, who was elected from Nepean for the first time in 2015 and retained it in 2019 and 2021, was subjected to his candidacy for the 2025 election being suddenly revoked by the party leadership on Thursday. At the time, the party stated its decision was based on unspecified “new information” it reviewed and the revocation formally communicated to Arya. The “new information” was apparently reviewed by the National Campaign Co-Chair of the party but no details were provided as to its content.
That decision and Carney being nominated for Nepean raise questions about the reasons why the Liberals cancelled Arya’s candidacy.
Appearing at an event in Edmonton, capital of the province of Alberta, on Thursday, Carney said convention dictated the first person to be informed of the decision is Governor General. But, he said, “What is clear is in this time of crisis, the government needs a strong and clear mandate.”
Carney is expected to begin the election campaign from the Atlantic region of Canada on Sunday, before travelling to other provinces and territories.
The former central banker is not a member of the House, which was scheduled to sit again on March 24 following the prorogation on January 6. Carney will, therefore, never have faced Parliament during this brief tenure as PM. The House was expected to pass a no confidence motion bringing the government down, but Carney has chosen to seek a fresh mandate.
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