Roving Periscope: PM Carney’s Liberals win polls in Canada; Khalistanis lose

Virendra Pandit

New Delhi: Prime Minister Mark Carney-led Liberal party was on a victory path in Canada’s snap election held on Monday, according to local media projections on Tuesday.

Both the public broadcasters CBC and CTV News projected the Liberals would form Canada’s next government, but it was not yet clear if they would hold a majority in parliament. Liberals got a fourth consecutive term—a rarity in Canadian politics—after Carney, a former banker, convinced voters that his experience managing economic crises prepared him to confront US President Donald Trump.

Trump’s trade war and threats to annex Canada, which he renewed in an election-day social media post, outraged Canadians and made dealing with the United States a top campaign issue. Carney, 60, who had never held elected office and only replaced Justin Trudeau as the PM last month, anchored his campaign on an anti-Trump message.

He previously served as central bank governor in both Britain and Canada and persuaded voters that his global financial experience has prepared him to guide Canada through a trade war. Carney has promised to expand overseas trading relations to curb Canada’s reliance on the United States.

Trudeau’s departure was also crucial to the Liberal win, which capped one of the most dramatic turnarounds in Canadian political history.

In New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday congratulated Carney on his electoral victory in the polls. He said he was looking forward to unlocking greater opportunities for people of the two nations.

In a post on X, PM Modi underscored the depth in India-Canada relations, saying, “India and Canada are bound by shared democratic values, a steadfast commitment to the rule of law, and vibrant people-to-people ties. I look forward to working with you to strengthen our partnership and unlock greater opportunities for our people.”

With Carney set to continue as the PM in Canada, the New Delhi-Ottawa ties are expected to get a reset following the downward spiral it was subjected to during Justin Trudeau’s tenure.

In 2023, Trudeau, whose government depended for support from a pro-Khalistani political outfit, made a statement in the House of Commons, linking Indian agents to the killing of pro-Khalistani Hardeep Singh Nijjar. New Delhi rejected his claims.

In October 2023, Canada expelled Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma, alongside five other Indian diplomats. In its response, New Delhi expelled six Canadian diplomats. This tit-for-tat continued for months and Trudeau’s popularity nosedived, pushing his Liberal Party to replace him with Carney.

After taking over as PM in March, Carney signalled a reset of India-Canada ties, as he described the ties between both countries as ‘extremely important.’

“It’s an incredibly important relationship, the Canada-India relationship, on many levels. On the personal level, with Canadians having deep personal ties, economically and strategically.”

Carney has refrained from making direct comments on the killing of Nijjar, indicating that “there is a path forward to address those with mutual respect.”

Meanwhile, the pro-Khalistani political outfit known as the New Democratic Party (NDP) has lost the Canadian elections. Its chief Jagmeet Singh, known to be a pro-Khalistan leader, on Tuesday resigned after he failed to retain his own seat in the polls which saw the Liberals retaining power but falling short of a majority government.

Singh, who was eyeing his third win, lost the Burnaby Central seat in British Columbia to a Liberal candidate, Wade Chang. While Singh received about 27 percent of the votes, Chang secured more than 40 percent.

His party also saw a major decline and was set to lose its national status, which requires parties to secure at least 12 seats.

“I know this night is disappointing for New Democrats. But we are only defeated when we believe those that tell us we can never dream of a better Canada,” Singh, who became the party leader in 2017, wrote in a series of posts on X.

The 46-year-old said he was “disappointed” that the NDP could not win more seats. “But I am not disappointed in our movement. I am hopeful for our party.”

“I KNOW that we will always choose hope over fear. New Democrats built this country. We have built the best of Canada. And we aren’t going anywhere.”

“But we are only defeated when we believe those that tell us we can never dream of a better Canada.”

“I’ve often spoken of a lesson my mother shared with me: the Sikh teaching of Chardi Kala.” “It means “rising spirits.” Optimism over struggle. This is the spirit I carry tonight.”

The Liberals were seen leading or elected in 164 electoral districts, known as seats, followed by the Conservatives with 147. Votes are still being counted.

The Liberals, who are the last party to win four consecutive elections in Canada, needed to secure 172 of the House of Commons’ seats for a majority that would allow them to govern without support from a smaller party.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, who was seen as a replacement to Trudeau until February, however, fell short of becoming the PM, but his party was on track to form a strong opposition.