A sign reads Canadiano instead of Americano coffee at the booth of Partner country Canada at the Hannover Messe industrial trade fair for mechanical and electrical engineering and digital industries, on March 31, 2025 in Hanover, northern Germany. (Photo by RONNY HARTMANN / AFP)
Montreal: A month before Canadians vote in an election dominated by threats from US President Donald Trump, leading candidates pledged Monday to build an economy that can thrive without depending on its southern neighbor.
Prime Minister Mark Carney, who replaced Justin Trudeau this month, appears to have revitalized his Liberal Party, which just months ago looked headed towards a crushing electoral defeat.
Most polls ahead of the April 28 election show Carney's Liberals slightly ahead of the Conservatives, whose leader Pierre Poilievre has struggled, experts say, to adjust his message in response to Trump.
The US president has repeatedly spoken about annexing Canada while pushing an array of tariffs that could force America's northern neighbor and largest trading partner into recession.
Campaigning outside Toronto on Monday, Carney said "Trump is trying to fundamentally restructure the US economy," which will force Canada to "reimagine" its own.
"We need to build a new Canadian economy, a more resilient economy that can succeed in what will be a drastically different world," Carney said.
Canada needs to be able to thrive "without any regard to what goes on in the United States," he added.
Poilievre built momentum over the past year by attacking an increasingly unpopular Trudeau and by promising to address core issues like affordability, notably soaring housing costs.
His campaign has maintained a focus on rising costs but with added emphasis on Trump.
"It is time to turn Canada into an economic fortress that puts our country first for a change," he said Monday in the eastern province of New Brunswick.
"With Donald Trump threatening our country with tariffs, we need big projects that link our regions, east to west. We need to be able to get our resources across Canada, bypassing America, so we can trade more with each other and sell our resources to the world."
