Mark Carney Calls Snap Elections in Canada Amid Trump Threats

Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada called on Sunday for a federal election to take place on April 28, cementing on the calendar another major event as the country experiences one of its most tumultuous and unpredictable periods.

President Trump has imposed painful tariffs on Canada and said more are coming, while also threatening its sovereignty, turning on America’s closest ally and trading partner and upending decades of close cooperation in every sphere.

Mr. Carney, 60, a political novice with a long career in central banking and finance, was elected leader of Canada’s Liberal Party on March 9 and was sworn in as prime minister on March 14. He replaced Justin Trudeau, who had led the Liberals for 13 years and the country for nearly a decade, but had grown deeply unpopular.

Mr. Carney had been widely expected to call for a quick election. He does not have a seat in Canada’s Parliament, and the Liberals do not command a majority, meaning that their government was likely to fall in a vote of no-confidence as early as Monday had he not called for the election.

The Liberals’ main opponents are the Conservatives, led by Pierre Poilievre.

Mr. Trump’s aggressive stance toward Canada has been a boon for the Liberals and Mr. Carney. Before Mr. Trump took office, the Conservatives had been ahead by double digits in polls and a victory for Mr. Poilievre seemed a foregone conclusion.

But voters have grown concerned that Mr. Poilievre is too ideologically similar to Mr. Trump to stand up to him, and they are drawn to Mr. Carney’s economics experience and long career on the international stage. Polls show that Mr. Carney and the Liberals have eliminated a 25-percentage-point lead held by the Conservatives and the two enter the election period neck-and-neck.