Its been the worst kept secret in Ottawa for more than a week, after Mark Carney was elected Liberal Leader, and sworn in as prime minister.
Mark Carney made the journey to Rideau Hall in Ottawa where he met with Governor General Mary Simon. Simon agreed to Carney’s request to dissolve parliament and being the five week election campaign. Election Day is set for Monday, April 28th.
Carney didn’t really have a lot of choices. Parliament was scheduled to resume tomorrow after Former Prime Minister Trudeau prorogued the house of commons when it looked like his minority government would fall. At the time the Liberals were well back of the Conservatives as there was growing unrest over the carbon price, the cost of living and many more issues.
The sands shifted on the political landscape when US President Donald Trump attacked the Canadian economy with tariffs on all Canadian imports, including oil, gas, and electricity. The US President further fanned the flames of patriotism in Canada when he vowed to make Canada the 51st state. These tariffs are seen by most as unnecessary and hurtful to both countries.
After the resignation announcement of Justin Trudeau, the outpouring of Canadian nationalism has lifted the governing Liberals into a virtual tie with the Conservatives as the campaign begins.
As the house dissolved, there were 152 Liberal MPs, 120 Conservatives, 33 Bloc Qubecois, 24 NDP, 2 Green, 2 Independent, and four seats were vacant.
At the top of the list of concerns from Canadians is affordability. Inflation was pretty much under control before Donald Trump started a trade war with Canada, and other countries. Inflation is expected to receive more upward pressure as the trade war drags on.