Canada candidates make final pitch; Liberals hold narrow lead

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre will make their final pitches to voters on Sunday, before an election that will determine who will negotiate on tariffs with US President Donald Trump.

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Carney spent Saturday in the most populous province of Ontario, arguing he is best placed to steer Canada through a crisis triggered by Trump’s tariffs, while Poilievre has emphasized the need for change after nearly a decade of Liberal rule under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

It was too early to tell if a mass casualty event in Vancouver would have any impact on the election. Multiple people were killed and injured when a man drove into a large crowd attending a street festival late on Saturday, police said.

Carney, a two-time central banker and former college hockey goalie who took over this year after Trudeau resigned, referred to the country’s most popular sport as he campaigned ahead of Monday’s election.

“We are in the equivalent of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup in the last two minutes,” Carney, 60, said in a speech north of Toronto, referring to the National Hockey League championship.

In posts on social media, Carney later offered condolences and Poilievre said his thoughts were with Vancouver’s Filipino community after the “horrific” news coming out of the festival.

Pollsters say Carney’s Liberal Party holds a narrow lead in popular support ahead of final voting, after Trump slapped tariffs on Canada and repeatedly referred to the once close ally as the 51st U.S. state. Trump’s comments enraged Canadians and reversed a lead of some 20 points by Poilievre, whom the Liberals have compared to Trump.

A Nanos poll on Saturday said the gap between the two front-running parties has narrowed nationally to approximately three percentage points, from closer to four a day earlier, with the Conservatives making up ground especially in Ontario. The poll put national Liberal support at 41.9% versus 38.6% for the Conservatives.