Canadian leader Mark Carney says Trump key issue in national election
The Prime Minister spoke during a French-language leaders’ debate in Montreal on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said the key question in Canada’s election is who is best to deal with US President Donald Trump.
His Conservative rival Pierre Poilievre argued during Wednesday’s French-language leaders’ debate in Montreal that Mr Carney does not represent change after a decade of Liberal Party of Canada rule and is just like his predecessor, Justin Trudeau.
“Mr Poilievre is not Justin Trudeau. I’m not Justin Trudeau either. In this election, the question is who is going to face Mr Trump,” Mr Carney said.
Mr Trump’s trade war and threats to make Canada the 51st state of America have infuriated Canadians, leading to a surge in nationalism that has bolstered Liberal poll numbers ahead of the April 28 vote.
Mr Poilievre is imploring Canadians not to give the Liberals a fourth term.
He had hoped to make the election a referendum on Mr Trudeau, whose popularity had declined at the end of his decade in power after food and housing prices rose sharply and immigration surged.
But Mr Trump instead attacked the former Canadian leader, prompting Mr Trudeau to resign.
The move saw former Bank of England governor Mr Carney become Liberal leader and prime minister after a leadership race.
“One of the differences, there are many, but one of the differences between the two of us is that I put much more emphasis on the economy, on growing the economy,” Mr Carney said when asked about Mr Trudeau after the debate.
“In fact, in this circumstance that we are in, given the scale of the crisis, I would say relentless focus on growing the economy.”
During the debate, Mr Carney reminded the nation that he has only been prime minister for a month.
“We need change. You do not embody change,” Mr Poilievre said to Mr Carney.
Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-François Blanche, whose party is losing support to Mr Carney’s Liberals in Quebec, agreed, saying the Liberals are the same party, the same ministers and the same politicians and a new leader does not change that.
But public opinion has changed. In a mid-January poll by Nanos, Liberals trailed the Conservatives by 47% to 20%. In the latest Nanos poll released on Wednesday, the Liberals led by eight percentage points.
The French-speaking debate was moved up by two hours to minimise conflict with a Montreal Canadiens ice hockey game as they clinched a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
This is not the first time ice hockey has elbowed its way onto the campaign trail.
During the 2011 election, former Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe asked for a debate to be postponed due to a Canadiens hockey game and his request was granted.
The English language debate is on Thursday evening.
