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By Khaleda Rahman
National Correspondent
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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and his Conservative opponent both said President Donald Trump must respect Canada's sovereignty as they kicked off their election campaigns on Sunday.
Carney only recently replaced Justin Trudeau as the country's prime minister after the latter resigned in January. Trudeau remained in power until the Liberal Party elected Carney as its new leader, who has now called a snap election that will be held on April 28.
Several parties are running in the race for the 343 seats in Canada's House of Commons, but the Liberals and the Conservatives are the only two that have a chance to form a government. The party that wins a majority of the seats, either alone or with another party, will form the next government and its leader will be prime minister.
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The election campaign is expected to focus on who is best equipped to deal with Trump, against the backdrop of a deepening trade war and Trump's comments about Canada becoming the 51st U.S. state.
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"Although cost-of-living issues remain important to voters, how to respond to the Trump administration's policies and rhetoric targeting Canada will be a central theme of this short campaign," Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal, told Newsweek.
Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment via email.
Polls show the race is essentially neck-and-neck between Carney and his main challenger, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.
Liberal leader Mark Carney
Carney, a former central banker, was overwhelmingly chosen to succeed Trudeau as Liberal leader in early March. He asked Canadians on Sunday for a strong mandate to "stand up to Donald Trump and the Americans and negotiate the best deal for Canadians."
"We are facing the most significant crisis of our lifetimes because of President Trump's unjustified trade actions and his threats to our sovereignty," he said in a speech. "Our response must be to build a strong economy and a more secure Canada."
He added: "President Trump claims that Canada isn't a real country. He wants to break us so America can own us. We will not let that happen."
Béland said Trump's threats "have directly impacted Canadian politics and helped the Liberals," who had been trailing behind the Conservatives in the polls when Trudeau announced his resignation. Now, the Liberals "have a shot at staying in power and even perhaps at securing a majority government," he said.
An Ipsos poll conducted between March 14 and 17 found 48 percent of Canadians believe Carney is the best leader to navigate the challenges posed by Trump.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre
Poilievre, a career politician, and his party were heading for a huge victory in Canada's election until Trump's threats derailed them.
Liberals have drawn comparisons between Poilievre and Trump, but he has sought to distance himself from the U.S. president and pledged to put "Canada first."
Poilievre has insisted he would stand up to Trump.
"You can be respectful and firm and I believe we have to be both," he told reporters on Sunday as he launched his campaign. "I will insist the president recognizes the independence and sovereignty of Canada. I will insist he stops tariffing our nation."
In a Fox News interview last week, Trump said Poilievre is "stupidly, no friend of mine" and that it's "easier to deal" with a Liberal. But top Trump ally Elon Musk has endorsed Poilievre.
New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh
The leader of the leftist New Democratic Party vowed on Sunday to "fight like hell" for every Canadian as he accused Carney of spending his career serving the interests of billionaires and CEOs.
He also warned that Carney and others could not be trusted to negotiate with Trump in the best interests of regular Canadians.
"Let me be perfectly clear: we will never be Trump's 51st state, not in name, not in values, not ever," he said.
He added: "People will tell you in this election that it's about who can negotiate with Donald Trump. I'm here to tell you, the real question is who will make sure you and the things that you care about are not on the table when Donald Trump comes demanding concessions. Who will say no to trading away Canadian jobs or the things we grow and build and ship? Who will stop them from bargaining with environmental protections just to protect corporate profits?"
Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet
Blanchet is unlikely to become Canada's next prime minister since the Quebec nationalist party only runs candidates in Quebec.
But he has been critical of Trump's policies, saying on Sunday that the U.S. president appears to be "loving" the fear that his threats have caused.
"In addition to the trade issues, of course we cannot forget about the license that he has given Israel to again bomb Gaza and the license he seems to be giving to Russian dictators who are hitting at Ukraine," he told reporters on Sunday.
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