Toronto residents Douglas Bloomfield, left, and his son Phoenix, right, hold a Canadian flag and an ice hockey stick to show their support for Canada regarding trade tariffs as they pose with with another visitor to the city wearing a mask of President Donald Trump in front of the White House in Washington, March 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)2025-04-28T04:19:36Z TORONTO (AP) Canadians will decide Monday whether to extend the Liberal Partys decade in power or instead hand control to the Conservatives. Theyll pick either Prime Minister Mark Carney or opposition leader Pierre Poilievre to lead the way forward, but the election is also a referendum of sorts on someone who isnt even Canadian: Donald Trump.Until the American president won a second term and began threatening Canadas economy and sovereignty, even suggesting the country should become the 51st state, the Liberals looked headed for defeat. Canadians go the polls as the country grapples with the aftermath of a fatal car ramming attack on Saturday in Vancouver. The tragedy on the eve of the election prompted 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. Trumps truculence has infuriated many Canadians, leading many to cancel U.S. vacations, refuse to buy American goods and possibly even vote early a record 7.3 million Canadians cast ballots before election day. Trump also put Poilievre and the Conservative Party on the back foot after they appeared headed for an easy victory only months ago. The Americans want to break us so they can own us, Carney said recently, laying out what he saw as the stakes for the election. Those arent just words. Thats whats at risk. Poilievre, a populist firebrand who campaigned with Trump-like bravado, 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 Poilievres 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. Its like Trump standing there saying I am your retribution. Foreign policy hasnt dominated a Canadian election this much since 1988, when, ironically, free trade with the United States was the prevailing issue.Whichever candidate emerges as prime minister will face a litany of challenges.Canada has been dealing with a cost of living crisis for some time. And more than 75% percent of its exports go to the U.S., so Trumps threat to impose sweeping tariffs and his desire to get the North American automakers to move Canadas production south could severely damage the Canadian economy. Both Carney and Poilievre said that if elected, they would accelerate renegotiations a free trade deal between Canada and the U.S. in an bid to end the uncertainty hurting both of their economies.Carney, in particular, has notable experience navigating economic crises, having done so when running Canadas central bank and later after becoming the first non-U.K. citizen to run the Bank of England.Trump dialed 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 U.S. stopped buying its goods. He also said hes not just trolling Canada when he says it should become a state. The Liberals ought to pay him, Bothwell said. Trump talking is not good for the Conservatives.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. Its not a joke. Its his very strong desire to make this happen. Its one of the reasons why this crisis is so serious. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site