America v/s Canada: “Our old relationship is over,” says PM Mark Carney
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: A month after turning the fortunes of Liberal Party, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who is seen retaining power after the snap polls held on Monday, criticized the US and emphasized that Canada’s old relationship of integration with America is over.
In his victory speech after the media projection that the Liberal Party is heading to retain power, although with a doubtful majority, he told supporters that: “Canada now finds itself at a hinge moment of history”.
“Our old relationship of integration with the US is now over. We are over the shock of the American betrayal,” he said.
He also warned: “America wants our land, our resources, our water, our country. These are not idle threats.”
Carney emphasised the importance of unity in Canada’s response to these challenges. “President Trump is trying to break us so that America can own us. That will never, ever happen,” he said.
The Prime Minister also declared that his upcoming talks with President Trump would focus on negotiating a fair economic and security relationship. “This is Canada, and we decide what happens here,” Carney asserted. “We will fight back with everything we have to get the best deal for Canada.”
Carney’s vision for the future was clear, offering the slogan, ‘Canada strong, Canada free, Canada forever.’
However, his Liberal Party may fall short of an outright majority, according to projections. The Liberals are forecast to win around 164, enough seats in Canada’s 343-member Parliament to continue governing, though as a minority. A party needs 172 seats to secure a majority government.
The election result marks a stunning comeback for the Liberals, who had been facing near-certain defeat until US President Donald Trump’s annexation threats and trade war with Canada sparked a nationalist backlash.
Equally unexpected was the defeat of the Conservatives who, until February, were seen as the frontrunners because of the unbelievable unpopularity of the then PM Justin Trudeau, which forced the Liberal Party to replace him with Carney and prepone House of Common polls to April, rather than by October 2025.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre conceded late on Monday.
“Canadians have opted for a razor-thin minority government, a virtual tie in the vote count. I would like to congratulate Prime Minister Carney on leading this minority government,” he said.
Poilievre acknowledged that while there would be opportunities to debate and disagree, “tonight we come together as Canadians.”
He had aimed to turn the election into a referendum on Trudeau, whose popularity nosedived to as low as 13 percent due to political slugfest with India and other countries and the rising cost of living and an influx of immigrants.
However, Trump’s attacks on Canada and annexation threats reshaped the political landscape, leading to Trudeau’s resignation and a political greenhorn, Mark Carney’s rise to leadership.
New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jagmeet Singh, the pro-Khallistani who supported Trudeau until a few months ago and was seen as the main architect of Canada’s hostility towards India, also suffered a blow. He lost his own seat and stepped down as party leader.
Singh, a prominent Sikh-Canadian lawmaker, however, expressed his support for Carney, saying, “Carney will represent all Canadians and protect our country and its sovereignty from the threats of Donald Trump.”
