 "Canada's Prime Minister and Liberal Party leader Mark Carney speaks to supporters at a victory party in Ottawa, Ontario on April 29, 2025. AFP")
The newly elected Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney, on Tuesday took a dig at US President Donald Trump in his first speech after his party swept the polls, saying Canada “should never forget the lessons” of America’s “betrayal.”
“We will win this trade war,” Carney told cheering supporters in Ottawa, while warning of “challenging” days ahead brought on by Trump’s tariffs and annexation threats.
“We are over the shock of the American betrayal, but we should never forget the lessons,” Carney said.
The prime minister’s win comes at a time when Canada and the US are engaged in a trade war, with Trump announcing sweeping tariffs on the country that have hurt its economy.
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The Canadian polls 2025 were defined by troubles brewed by the Trump 2.0 administration, and were premised on how well a leader can tackle Potus’ punitive measures.
“As I’ve been warning for months, America wants our land, our resources, our water, our country," Carney said. “These are not idle threats. President Trump is trying to break us so America can own us. That will never … ever happen. But we also must recognize the reality that our world has fundamentally changed.”
Liberals sweep elections
After polls closed, the Liberals were projected to win more of Parliament’s 343 seats than the Conservatives. It wasn’t immediately clear, though, if they would win an outright majority — at least 172 — or would need to rely on one of the smaller parties to pass legislation.
The Conservative Party’s leader, Pierre Poilievre, hoped to make the election a referendum on former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose popularity declined toward the end of his decade in power as food and housing prices rose.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIn a speech conceding defeat and with his own seat in the House of Commons still in doubt, Poilievre vowed to keep fighting for Canadians and their right to an affordable home on a safe street.
“We are cognizant of the fact that we didn’t get over the finish line yet,” Poilievre told his supporters in Ottawa. “We know that change is needed, but change is hard to come by. It takes time. It takes work. And that’s why we have to learn the lessons of tonight — so that we can have an even better result the next time Canadians decide the future of the country.”
Canada-US tiff
Tensions between the US and Canada have been escalating ever since Trump took over the presidency in January this year. The sourness in ties was mainly driven by trade disputes. In February, Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on Canadian imports, including a 25 per cent levy on most goods and a 10 per cent tariff on energy products, citing national security concerns.
Apart from this, Trump has also been making territorial claims over Canada. The US President, on several occasions, has said that Canada should come under the ambit of the US and become its 51st state. Last month, Trump said he is serious about wanting Canada to become the 51st State in an interview with Fox News.
More recently, Carney revealed that Trump raised the matter of Canada becoming the 51st state during a call with him in March.
With inputs from agencies