Carney’s Liberal Party Wins in Canada

BY PAUL VIEIRA AND VIPAL MONGA

Canadians kept the Liberal Party in power in elections Monday, projections showed, as voters entrusted Prime Minister Mark Carney to forge a new course for their struggling economy and stand up to President Trump.

Carney’s Liberals were set to win a fourth term on Monday, Canadian networks said. It wasn’t clear whether his Liberals would win a majority of seats or a smaller share that would require them to obtain support from other parties to govern, the broadcaster said. Carney, a 60-yearold former head of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, became prime minister after Justin Trudeau stepped down in January.

The victory is a remarkable one for a Liberal Party that was headed for defeat at the start of this year. The Conservatives, led by Pierre Poilievre, had more than a 20-percentage- point poll lead in January, reflecting voter fatigue with a three-term Trudeau administration and anger over inflation and high housing costs.

Trudeau’s resignation after a decade in power and Trump’s return to the White House precipitated a reversal of fortune for the Liberals under Carney, who said he was the best candidate to handle Trump and reshape an economy dependent on U.S. demand.

Left-leaning politicians in Australia and the U.K., too, have benefited from embodying opposition to Trump’s plans.

“What began as a campaign about change eventually morphed into a campaign about leadership,” said Darrell Bricker, president of polling firm Ipsos.

Carney has said Canada needs to lower internal trade barriers and do more business with Europe and Asia after decades of ever-tightening economic and security cooperation with the U.S. He touted his experience leading the Bank of Canada during the financial crisis and the Bank of England after the U.K. voted to leave the European Union.

“Carney has the economic know-how to deal with a child like Trump,” Maria Longo, a mortgage broker from Montreal, said ahead of the vote. “Trump is ruining the world.”

Poilievre suffered for rhetoric too similar to Trump’s, pollsters said. Abacus Data polling last week indicated that 46% of Canadians held a negative perception of Poilievre, the highest level since the start of the campaign.

Trump said in a social-media post Monday that Canada would be better off as the 51st state, a frequent refrain since he was elected that has stoked Canadian patriotism and galvanized voters.

Returns showed that the Conservatives had more than 40% of the popular vote, close to their share in the last federal election they won in 2011. The Liberals had just over 44%, benefiting from a drop in support for smaller parties, notably the left-wing New Democratic Party and the nationalist Bloc Quebecois in Quebec.

Carney successfully distanced himself from Trudeau’s inability to raise living standards or cut housing costs. He acknowledged the economy was weak before Trump started imposing tariffs and said Trudeau’s team didn’t focus enough on economic policy.