The Canada election influenced by Trump has transformed from a predictable Conservative victory to a fiercely contested battle, as Canadians head to the polls on Monday. Earlier in the year, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre appeared unstoppable, positioned for a landslide win until US President Donald Trump upended the campaign. Trump’s imposition of 25% tariffs and his provocative remarks about annexing Canada as the “51st state” have dramatically reshaped voter sentiment, rejuvenating Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party and making this election an unexpected referendum on Canada’s stance towards its powerful southern neighbor.
Final polls suggest the Liberals hold a slight advantage, though Poilievre insists a Conservative victory remains within reach. The Conservatives, initially buoyed by public dissatisfaction over economic challenges like soaring housing costs and crime rates, now find themselves navigating a national wave of anger and defiant Canadian nationalism sparked by Trump’s aggressive policies and rhetoric.
In the election’s closing weekend, party campaigns were overshadowed by tragedy—a deadly attack in Vancouver where an SUV rammed into festival attendees, killing 11 people at a Filipino cultural event. Prime Minister Carney promptly cancelled a planned stop in Hamilton to address the nation, emphasizing unity and resilience in a somber moment. Meanwhile, Poilievre hastily scheduled a visit to Mississauga to express solidarity with the Filipino community, highlighting the deeply personal dimension this campaign has taken.
The Canada election influenced by Trump became inseparable from Canada’s shifting view of its relationship with the United States. Trump’s threats to Canadian sovereignty stirred unprecedented displays of nationalism, including scenes of hockey fans openly booing the US national anthem, a striking illustration of how profoundly US-Canada relations have deteriorated.
Mark Carney, a former central banker renowned for navigating financial crises in Canada and the UK, positioned himself throughout the campaign as uniquely equipped to steer the nation through these turbulent times. During rallies in western provinces on Sunday, Carney advocated for deeper trade relations with more reliable partners, notably the UK and the European Union, bluntly declaring Canada’s historic relationship with the US as “over.”
Poilievre, on the other hand, campaigned vigorously in Ontario—a province holding substantial electoral sway with 122 parliamentary seats. The Conservative leader consistently framed himself as the “change candidate,” urging Canadians to reject what he labels the “lost Liberal decade,” a reference to the period under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Meanwhile, smaller parties like Jagmeet Singh’s New Democratic Party (NDP) and the separatist Bloc Québécois struggled to remain relevant amid a polarized political landscape. Singh, personally impacted by the tragedy in Vancouver, cancelled events and issued emotional appeals for voters to strengthen the NDP’s role as a vital check in Parliament.
Historically dominated by the Liberals and Conservatives, this election has reaffirmed the traditional two-party structure in Canada, with the influence of Trump’s America casting a long shadow. Though Trump himself has refrained from commenting directly on the election’s outcome, senior figures from his administration, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, continued publicly advocating for Canada’s annexation, intensifying Canadian anxieties over sovereignty.
Voting begins early Monday morning in Newfoundland and Labrador and stretches across six time zones, concluding late Monday night in British Columbia. Canadians now face a critical choice that will shape their national identity and global position—an election unmistakably marked by Trump’s controversial policies and rhetoric.
