By David Ljunggren and Fergal Smith
OTTAWA (Reuters) – New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is poised to call an election on Sunday, looking for a strong mandate to deal with the threat that U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs pose to the economy.
Carney’s schedule shows him visiting the Governor General – the personal representative of King Charles, Canada’s head of state, at noon (1600 GMT) and holding a media briefing after.
Carney is expected to seek the dissolution of Parliament, triggering the start of the campaign.
Although the next election is not due until October 20, Carney is hoping to capitalize on a remarkable recovery by his Liberal party in the polls since January, when Trump began threatening Canada and former prime minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation.
Carney, a former two-time central banker with no previous political or election campaign experience, captured the Liberal leadership on March 9 by persuading party members he was the best person to tackle Trump.
Liberal party sources had said Carney would seek an election within weeks.
The Globe and Mail reported on Thursday the election will be held April 28, giving Carney five weeks to win over Canadians. Polls suggest the Liberals, who have been in power since 2015 and badly trailed the official opposition Conservatives at the start of the year, are now slightly ahead of their rivals.
Carney has yet to speak to Trump but has sought to lower the temperature, telling reporters that he respects what Trump is trying to do.
The Conservatives have sought to portray Carney as an elitist who plans to continue the Trudeau-era policy of high government spending. They also accuse him of being less than clear about how he transferred his personal financial assets into a blind trust.
(Reporting by Fergal Smith, Editing by Louise Heavens)
