SOURCE :- THE AGE NEWS
By Rob Gillies
Toronto: Canadians are voting today on whether to back their new prime minister, Mark Carney, and extend his Liberal Party’s decade in power or hand control to the Conservatives and their populist leader, Pierre Poilievre. But the election is also a referendum on someone who isn’t even Canadian: Donald Trump.
The US president trolled Canadians on election day by suggesting on social media he was in fact on the ballot and repeating that Canada should become the 51st state, incorrectly claiming the United States subsidises Canada. “It makes no sense unless Canada is a State!” Trump wrote.
Pierre Poilievre, leader of Canada’s Conservative Party, left, and his wife Anaida Poilievre attend a campaign rally in Pickering, Ontario, on Sunday.Credit: Bloomberg
Poilievre, who has been criticised for not taking a firmer stance against Trump, responded with a post of his own.
“President Trump, stay out of our election. The only people who will decide the future of Canada are Canadians at the ballot box,” he posted. “Canada will always be proud, sovereign and independent and we will NEVER be the 51st state.”
Until Trump won a second term and began threatening Canada’s economy and sovereignty, the Liberals looked headed for defeat. But Trump’s truculence has infuriated many Canadians, leading many to cancel American vacations, refuse to buy American goods and possibly even vote early. A record 7.3 million Canadians cast ballots before election day.
Trump’s attacks also put Poilievre and the opposition Conservative Party on the defensive and led to a surge in nationalism that helped the Liberals flip the election narrative.
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney casts his vote in Ottawa on Monday.Credit: AP
“The Americans want to break us so they can own us,” Carney said recently, laying out what he saw as the election’s stakes. “Those aren’t just words. That’s what’s at risk.”
Election day came as the country grappled with the fallout from a deadly weekend attack at a Vancouver street fair that led to the suspension of campaigning for several hours. Police ruled out terrorism and said the suspect is a local man with a history of mental health issues.
Is this an election on Trump?
Poilievre had hoped to make the election a referendum on former prime minister Justin Trudeau, whose popularity declined toward the end of his decade in power as food and housing prices rose and immigration surged.
But then Trump became the dominant issue, and Poilievre’s similarities to the bombastic president could cost him.
“He appeals to the same sense of grievance,” Canadian historian Robert Bothwell said of the Conservative leader. “It’s like Trump standing there saying, ‘I am your retribution.’”
How are the votes counted?
All ballots are counted by hand by federal election officials in the presence of witnesses, usually campaign or party representatives.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and wife Anaida cast their votes in Ottawa.Credit: AP
Ballots cast in person on election day are counted at each local polling place after polls close. Ballots cast in person before election day and mail ballots cast from within the district are tabulated at the district’s local Elections Canada office.
Ballots from incarcerated voters, members of the military, Canadians living overseas and voters who live in Canada but outside their home district, such as some college students, are counted at a centralised facility in Ottawa.
What time do polls close?
Canada’s vast expanse has six time zones, but polls are somewhat synchronised to end at about the same time across the country.
Polls in Newfoundland closed at 7pm EDT (9am AEST). Areas just west of that, including Nova Scotia, are on Atlantic Time and vote until 7.30pm EDT (9.30am AEST).
Many areas across Eastern, Central and Mountain Time all wrap up voting at 9.30pm EDT (11.30am AEST), as well as in Saskatchewan. Polls in Pacific Time are open until 10pm EDT (midday AEST).
Who are the other candidates?
Other parties’ candidates include Jagmeet Singh, who heads the progressive New Democratic Party and responded on X to Trump’s remarks by telling voters, “You can protect what makes Canada, Canada. Every New Democrat you send to Ottawa will stand up for our country. And never back down.”
Jagmeet Singh attended Lapu Lapu Day in Vancouver before a car ploughed into the crowd at the festival, killing 11 people.Credit: AP
There’s also Yves-François Blanchet, who leads Bloc Québécois, a Quebec nationalist party.
In March, Carney called for parliament to be dissolved to pave the way for the election. At the time, the Liberals held 152 seats and the Conservatives had 120. Bloc Québécois held 33 seats and the NDP held 24. Others were held by unrecognised parties, independents or were vacant.
How are the prime minister and MPs elected?
Canada is a constitutional monarchy, like Australia, with King Charles III serving as ceremonial head of state. The country’s electoral system is also modelled after the British system.
A member of the House of Commons will be elected in each of the nation’s 343 federal electoral districts, also known as a constituency or a riding. The winner in each district is the candidate who receives the most votes. A majority vote is not required to get elected to parliament. This is sometimes called a “first-past-the-post” system.
The leader of the party that wins a majority of seats in the House of Commons will form a new government and serve as prime minister. If no party wins a majority, a party – usually the one with the most seats – can form a minority government but must rely on support from some opposition members. In rare cases, two or more parties might reach a formal agreement to form a coalition government together.
Canada’s parliament has an upper chamber called the Senate, but those members are appointed and do not play a role in determining the prime minister.
What next?
Canada has been dealing with a cost-of-living crisis for some time. Trump’s threat to impose sweeping tariffs and his desire to get North American automakers to move Canada’s production south could severely damage the Canadian economy.
Both Carney and Poilievre said that if elected, they would accelerate renegotiations of a free trade deal between Canada and the U.S. to end the uncertainty hurting both of their economies.
Carney has notable experience navigating economic crises after running Canada’s central bank and later becoming the first non-UK citizen to run the Bank of England.
Trump dialled back his talk of Canada becoming the 51st state during the campaign until last week, when he said Canada “would cease to exist as a country” if the US stopped buying its goods. He also said he’s not just trolling Canada when he says it should become a state.
In response to the threats to Canadian sovereignty, Carney pleaded with voters to deliver him a strong mandate to deal with Trump. “President Trump has some obsessive ideas, and that is one,” Carney said of his annexation threat. “It’s not a joke. It’s his very strong desire to make this happen. It’s one of the reasons why this crisis is so serious.”
AP
