Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney set to kick off his election campaign

TORONTO — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and his Conservative opponent will kick off their election campaigns on Sunday against the backdrop of a trade war and annexation threats from U.S. President Donald Trump.

Carney will trigger a five-week election campaign on Sunday, before the vote on April 28, when he visits at midday Governor-General Mary Simon — who holds a constitutional and ceremonial role as the representative of Canada’s head of state, King Charles III — to request the Parliament be dissolved, an official familiar with the matter said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly ahead of the announcement.

The governing Liberals had appeared poised for a historic election defeat this year until Trump declared a trade war. Trump has repeatedly said that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state and he acknowledged Friday that he has upended Canadian politics.

Trump’s almost daily attacks on Canada’s sovereignty have infuriated Canadians and led to a surge in Canadian nationalism that has bolstered Liberal poll numbers.

“The next election will be one of the most consequential in our lifetimes,” Carney posted on social media overnight.

Carney has said the government in a time of crisis needs a strong and clear mandate.

The election campaign for 343 seats or districts in the House of Commons will last 37 days. While other parties are running, the Liberals and the Conservatives are the only two that have a chance to form government. The party that commands a majority in Parliament, either alone or with the support of another party, will form the next government and its leader will be prime minister.

Carney replaced Justin Trudeau, who announced his resignation in January, but remained in power until the Liberal Party elected a new leader on March 9 following a leadership race by the governing party.

The opposition Conservatives hoped to make the election about Trudeau, whose popularity declined as food and housing prices rose and immigration surged. But after decades of bilateral stability, the vote is now expected to focus on who is best equipped to deal with Trump.

Trump put 25% tariffs on Canada’s steel and aluminum and is threatening sweeping tariffs on all Canadian products — as well as all of America’s trading partners — on April 2.

Carney still hasn’t had a phone call with Trump and that might not happen now until after the election. Trump mocked Trudeau by calling him governor, but he has not yet mentioned Carney’s name.

Carney, 60, was the head of the Bank of Canada during the 2008 financial crisis. In 2013, he became the first noncitizen of the United Kingdom to run the Bank of England — helping to manage the impact of Brexit.

Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the Conservatives, is Carney’s main challenger. The party and Poilievre were heading for a huge victory in Canada’s federal election this year until Trump’s near-daily trade and annexation threats derailed them.

Poilievre, 45, for years the party’s go-to attack dog, is a career politician and firebrand populist who says he will put “Canada first.” He vows to defund Canada’s public broadcaster and he won’t allow media onboard his campaign buses and planes.