Snap elections in Canada at the end of April

(Patria) - Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that the country will hold snap elections on April 28, Reuters reports.

The reason, as he stated, is that he needs a stronger mandate due to the trade and customs war declared on Canada by US President Donald Trump.

Regular elections were supposed to be held on October 20, but Carney decided that a new government would be elected half a year earlier.

- We are facing the most important crisis of our lives due to President Trump's unjustified trade actions and his threats to our sovereignty - said Carney.

He stated that Canada needs to be invested in, built, and united, and therefore he is asking citizens for a strong positive mandate.

- I have just asked the Governor General to dissolve parliament and call elections for April 28. She has agreed - added the leader of the Liberal Party, who was sworn in nine days ago, succeeding Justin Trudeau.

Polls show that the Liberals, who have been in power since 2015, after a significant lag behind the Conservatives at the beginning of the year, now have a slight lead again.

Reuters writes that the key to victory will be the result in the province of Quebec, which is predominantly French-speaking.

Carney had significant problems with the French language at a press conference - when asked to respond in French, he first misunderstood the question and then answered in English.

His main rival will be Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, who has already participated in seven elections and speaks French flawlessly.

However, analysts claim that experience will not be decisive in the elections this time, but the factor called Trump.

- I have a feeling that we will see a little more grace towards our politicians in this campaign than they are usually given - said Laura Stephenson, a politics professor at Western University.

The US President has had, to put it mildly, controversial appearances towards Canada in recent months.

He offered them to become the 51st US state, imposed new tariffs or doubled existing ones, and threatened to "financially punish them so that it will be read about in history textbooks".

As many as 44 percent of Canadians recently stated in an Abacus Data poll that Canada should become a member of the EU, and 60 percent of them have a very negative or negative opinion of the USA.