In Canada’s election, the U.S. is front of mind
Canadians are holding parliamentary elections today to determine who will lead their government: the Liberal Party under Prime Minister Mark Carney, a former banker, or the Conservatives, led by Pierre Poilievre, a career politician on the party’s right. Here’s what to know.
One issue has consumed voters: President Trump. His tariff attack on Canada and his repeated calls for the annexation of the country as the 51st state have dominated the race.
To learn about what’s at stake, I reached out to Matina Stevis-Gridneff, our Canada bureau chief.
What are the biggest issues in the elections?
Matina: Canadians are thinking about the economy, and about Trump. The two are, to a great degree, intertwined: Canada’s economy is in a relatively weak spot as it’s getting hit by tariffs. Some voters want to punish the Liberal Party which has been in charge for the past decade and hold it accountable for leaving the country in a weakened spot.
Those voters are likely to cast a ballot for the Conservative Party. The Conservatives are promising change, smaller government, tax cuts and deregulation. But other voters — and polls suggest they may be the majority — are predominantly worried about how Canada stands up to the U.S. This relates to tariffs but it extends beyond the purely economic, to the political and even existential spheres, given that Trump has threatened to annex Canada.
Voters motivated by that mind-set are likelier to pick the Liberal Party. Mark Carney is a seasoned international economic policymaker and private-sector executive, and his experience in economic turmoil has led many Canadians to believe he’s the right person to trust in this crisis.
What will you be watching for on Election Day and what has stood out for you so far?
I’ll be looking to see if the Liberals win, as polls are predicting, and if they can secure a majority government. For me that will indicate that Trump is a potent factor in the politics of America’s allies, who are all reeling by the change of policy and attitude in the White House.
The sharp reversal of fortunes for the Liberal Party which, until early his year, seemed poised to face a crushing defeat, has been stunning to watch. And in that context, the rise of Carney from elite economist to prime minister in the blink of an eye, and with no previous political experience, has been really surprising.
Results: Most polls will close at 9:30 p.m. Eastern time, and results will most likely be in later that evening.
Fate of Ukraine talks will be decided this week, Rubio said
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said yesterday that the Trump administration would decide this week whether to continue pursuing a negotiated settlement in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or turn its attention elsewhere.
“We’re close, but we’re not close enough,” he said in a television interview. It wasn’t clear if this was a negotiating tactic or if Trump and his aides were really close to walking away.
A glimmer of hope: On Saturday, Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine spoke privately for about 15 minutes in Rome. Trump later questioned why Russia had continued attacking Ukraine while the U.S. was trying to broker an end to the war. Zelensky said that he and Trump talked about a “reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war.”
Related: Moscow claimed it had retaken the last village held by Ukraine in the Kursk region of Russia. Ukraine denied that it had been pushed out.
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World leaders gathered for the pope’s funeral
Pope Francis was laid to rest on Saturday in Rome, in a funeral that drew world leaders and hundreds of thousands of faithful. The procession was “solemn and majestic,” wrote Jason Horowitz, our Rome bureau chief.
Even before the pope was entombed, conservative cardinals, who felt Francis had endangered the church’s traditions, had already begun politicking to sway the conclave electing the next pope.
Evan Lee, better known as EvanTube, still had his baby teeth when he became an influencer and transformed his family’s fortunes. Now 19, he spoke to us about what that exposure meant and what it’s like to grow up in the child influencer economy.
Lives lived: Virginia Giuffre, a victim of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking ring who was injured in an automobile crash last month, died at 41.
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Isabel Allende’s next book
At 82, Isabel Allende is one of the world’s best-selling Spanish-language authors — beloved for her tales of women in tough spots who make it through. Her own story, of fleeing Chile’s military coup at age 31, has similar themes.
Allende’s latest novel, “My Name Is Emilia del Valle,” which comes out next month, takes place during the 1891 Chilean civil war. She spoke to The Times about fleeing Chile, why she has never stopped longing for and thinking about her past, and how fear changes society. Read our interview.
