Carney calls snap election, says Trump wants to break Canada

New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Sunday called a snap election for April 28, saying he needed a strong mandate to deal with the threat posed by US President Trump, who “wants to break us so America can own us.”

The comments showed the extent to which relations between the US and Canada, two long-time allies and major trading partners, have deteriorated since Trump imposed tariffs on Canada and threatened to annex it as the 51st state.

Although the next election was not due until October 20, Carney is hoping to capitalise on a remarkable recovery by his Liberal party in the polls since January, when Trump began threatening Canada and former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation. Upon being sworn in as prime minister on March 14, Carney had said he could work with and respected Trump. On Sunday, however, he took a more combative approach.

“We are facing the most significant crisis of our lifetimes because of President Trump's unjustified trade actions and his threats to our sovereignty,” Carney told reporters after the Governor General approved his request for an election.