Snap election called as government seeks mandate to respond trade war

March 27, 2025 · 0 Comments

Written By SAM ODROWSKI

A snap election has been called for April 28 by Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Carney, 59, was named Liberal Party of Canada leader on March 9, replacing Justin Trudeau who announced on Jan. 6 that he would resign as party leader and prime minister.

Carney took 89 per cent of the vote during the Liberal Leadership Race, with just under 152,000 party members voting.

The early election is seen by the major parties as a way of letting Canadians decide who is best equipped to respond to the ongoing trade war with the U.S.

Running in the Dufferin–Caledon riding is incumbent Conservative MP Kyle Seeback, NDP candidate Viktor Karklins and Liberal candidate Halimi Madid.

Madid is a business manager, entrepreneur and single mother of three teenagers, who resides in Orangeville.

She said she’s thrilled to be running under Carney, and supports his plan “to grow our economy, make life more affordable and keep Canada strong.”

“I know some of the challenges that residents are facing in Dufferin-Caledon. As a resident of Orangeville, I’ve seen the impacts Donald Trump’s on-again-off-again tariff threats cause for our local economy. But I also know it takes experience to overcome some of the challenges we are facing today,” Madid said. “This is the most important election in our lifetime, because of the threats posed by Donald Trump. It’s going to take strong, experienced leadership to protect our economy, our sovereignty, and everything we love about Canada.”

Carney is an economist who served as the eighth governor of the Bank of Canada from 2008 to 2013. He also served as the 120th governor of the Bank of England from 2013 to 2020.

“Mark Carney and our Liberal team will stand up to Donald Trump and the national crisis that he poses — just like Mark Carney did while he was Governor of the Bank of Canada during the Great Recession,” said Madid.

After Carney was elected by Liberal Party of Canada members on March 9 and became prime minister, Seeback shared his thoughts with the Citizen.

“Despite [the Liberal Party] trying to make it look like Mark Carney is different than Justin Trudeau, he’s advocated for the exact same policies that have stifled our per capita income over the last 10 years,” he said.

From 2014 to 2024, Canada’s GDP per capita growth was just 0.5 per cent, while the United States was 20.7 per cent, according to the IMF’s World Economic Outlook report from October 2024.

“In 2015, there was a New York Times editorial saying Canada had the world’s richest middle class, and we have now lost 20 per cent to United States over the last 10 years. Canadian workers are earning 20 per cent less than their American counterparts,” said Seeback. “These are the policies Justin Trudeau bought forward and these are the policies that Mark Carney, as his economic advisor, supported.”

Carney announced an end to the consumer carbon tax on March 14 in his first move as Canada’s new prime minister. He remains supportive of the emissions cap on oil and gas pollution in Canada, with reduction targets spread out over several years.

Seeback said he and the Conservative Party of Canada oppose the emissions cap. He noted the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) of Canada’s “Impact Assessment of the Oil and Gas Emissions Cap,” published on March 12, highlights the economic impact of the policy.

The PBO’s report found the required reduction in upstream oil and gas sector production levels will lower real gross domestic product (GDP) in Canada by 0.39 per cent in 2032 and reduce nominal GDP by $20.5 billion. The report also found that the policy reduces economy-wide employment in Canada by 40,300 jobs or full-time equivalents by 54,400 in 2032. However, it is important to note, that the PBO’s report does not factor in the presumed costs related to climate change or the creation of jobs from decarbonizing the oil and gas sector.