Canada Election Debate Focuses on Trump Trade War

Canada's four major federal party leaders clashed in their first televised debate ahead of the April 28 election, with US President Donald Trump's tariffs and trade policies dominating the discussion. Liberal leader Mark Carney, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet, and New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh were asked to outline their responses to Trump's policies, including the trade war and tariffs on Canadian goods. The leaders also debated energy, housing, and immigration, with Poilievre vowing to cut taxes and red tape to address the housing crisis and Carney emphasizing the need for "low-risk", "low-carbon" oil production. The debate, held in French, was seen as a key test for Carney, whose French is the weakest among the leaders. A second debate is scheduled for Thursday in English.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberal Party has seen a surge in poll numbers ahead of the April 28 election, thanks to a nationalist response to US President Donald Trump's trade war and attacks on Canada's sovereignty. In the first leaders' debate, Carney emphasized his ability to deal with Trump, saying "the question is who is going to face Mr Trump." The Liberals had previously trailed the Conservatives by 27 percentage points, but now lead by 8 points, according to the latest Nanos poll. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has been urging Canadians to reject the Liberals, saying they need change, while Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet argued that Carney's party is the same as under previous leader Justin Trudeau.

Canada's Liberal party leader and Prime Minister Mark Carney and Conservative rival Pierre Poilievre clashed in a French-language leaders' debate, with the discussion dominated by the US crisis and Donald Trump's threats to Canada. Carney argued that the key question in the upcoming election is who is best to deal with Trump, while Poilievre called for change after a decade of Liberal rule. The Liberals have surged in the polls since Trump's attacks on Canada, with a recent poll showing them leading by eight percentage points, reversing a previous Conservative lead.