Prime Minister Mark Carney stated during a Wednesday night electoral debate with conservative challenger Pierre Poilievre that President Donald Trump is the greatest challenge Canada is currently dealing with.
Carney emphasized the importance of the upcoming election in determining who will succeed in facing Trump, as reported in a French statement translated by Reuters.
Carney’s remarks were a response to Poilievre’s criticism that Carney resembled Justin Trudeau, who recently resigned from his position as Prime Minister due to a significant drop in public approval ratings.
Mark Carney, Canada’s prime minister, speaks during a news conference in Ottawa, Canada, on March 27, 2025. (David Kawai/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Reports suggest that Carney is now viewed as the candidate more equipped to take on the tough negotiations that Canada will face to ease the steep tariffs Trump implemented this year.
Poilievre has also reportedly faced a drop in support for his Canada First message, which some reports suggest may be too similar a message to Trump’s America First agenda.
The conservative candidate has also reportedly faced criticism within his own party for not responding fast enough to the threat posed by the U.S. president.
Some reporting has suggested the race to be Canada’s next prime minister could be narrowing between Poilievre and Carney.
Canadians concerned by cost-of-living tend to back Poilievere, according to a Politico report, while voters concerned with the economy and relations with the U.S. tend to back Carney.
Canada Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre holds a news conference in Ottawa, on Dec. 1, 2024. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)
Poilievere has been in the political sphere since 2004, when he entered Canada’s Parliament.
Carney’s background is in running first the Bank of Canada in 2008 and then the Bank of England in 2013 – prompting some to believe he may be best suited to take on the financial crisis looming over Canada amid Trump’s tariff war.
