Canada: Canadians are voting today in a federal election that is widely seen as the most consequential in a generation.
The election is set against the backdrop of Donald Trump’s inflammatory threats to annex Canada and a devastating attack at a Vancouver street festival.
In the final hours of a month-long campaign, Trump reinserted himself into the Canadian political debate saying that, “We don’t need anything from Canada. The only way this thing works is for Canada to become a state.”
The campaign’s final day was also overshadowed by tragedy. A vehicle attack at the Lapu Lapu Festival, celebrating Filipino culture in Vancouver, left at least 11 people dead and many more injured.
Prime Minister Mark Carney, who inherited leadership of the Liberal Party in March, paused his campaign to mourn with the nation.
Just months ago, Carney’s Liberals were written off, trailing Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives by as much as 27 points. Poilievre, riding a wave of discontent over the cost-of-living crisis, seemed destined for a historic Conservative landslide.
Despite the Liberals’ resurgence, many voters remain skeptical of a fourth consecutive Liberal term, citing mounting living costs and frustrations over housing affordability.
Poilievre, a seasoned parliamentarian, continued hammering his message of change, warning that Carney represented a continuation of “the exact same taxes, deficits, and skyrocketing housing costs” under Trudeau’s tenure.
The polarized race has marginalized smaller parties. Jagmeet Singh’s New Democratic Party and Elizabeth May’s Greens face historic losses, while the Bloc Québécois has seen its momentum stall as patriotic sentiment swells in favor of the Liberals.
Already, early voting has shattered records, with more than 7 million Canadians casting ballots, a 25 percent surge from the last election.
Polls close at 8:30 p.m. Atlantic time, with critical battlegrounds in Ontario and Québec set to determine whether Canada grants the Liberals a renewed mandate or turns to a new Conservative era.
