The leading candidates vying to replace Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau clashed over how to respond to U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade threats in a televised debate Monday, as the race tightens ahead of the October 20 election.
Once seen as an easy win for the opposition Conservatives, the contest to lead Canada has become more competitive following Trump’s pledge to impose tariffs on all Canadian imports, a move that could trigger economic turmoil.
"Trump represents the biggest threat to Canada since World War Two," former finance minister Chrystia Freeland said during the French-language debate between the four Liberal candidates.
Freeland, who helped negotiate the U.S.-Canada-Mexico trade agreement under Trump’s first administration, warned that the president previously sought to wage economic war against Canada but that his current threats were even more severe.
"This time, Trump’s threats are worse—he wants to make Canada the 51st state," she said. Canada sends 75% of its exports to the U.S. and could fall into a recession if trade barriers are enforced.
Mark Carney, a former central banker and the current front-runner, dismissed the idea that Trump could succeed in pressuring Canada.
"At this moment, Canada is facing the worst crisis of our lives... I know how to handle crises," he said, pointing to his experience leading the Bank of Canada during the 2008 financial crisis and later the Bank of England during Brexit.
Both Carney and Freeland said Canada must respond forcefully if Trump follows through on his tariff threats.
Freeland’s resignation in December after nine years in cabinet triggered a political crisis that ultimately led to Trudeau announcing his resignation last month. The new Liberal leader will be chosen on March 9.
The Conservatives, seeking to capitalize on Trudeau’s unpopularity, dismissed the debate as a contest between interchangeable candidates. In a statement titled "Sneaky Carney Must Come Clean With Canadians," they claimed there was no difference between Trudeau and the leading contenders.
The remaining candidates, former cabinet minister Karina Gould and retired legislator Frank Baylis, will join Carney and Freeland for an English-language debate on Tuesday, as the campaign battle intensifies.
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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to meet U.S. President Donald Trump during the latter’s anticipated trip to Scotland this month, according to a source familiar with the plans.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, just before a planned trip to China, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Amid rising global tensions, top diplomats from Russia and the United States met in Malaysia to assess key international crises and explore ways to restore bilateral cooperation.
Australian researchers have pioneered a low-cost and scalable plasma-based method to produce ammonia gas directly from air, offering a green alternative to the traditional fossil fuel-dependent Haber-Bosch process.
A series of earthquakes have struck Guatemala on Tuesday afternoon, leading authorities to advise residents to evacuate from buildings as a precaution against possible aftershocks.
Archaeologists have uncovered a 3,500-year-old city in northern Peru that likely served as a key trade hub connecting ancient coastal, Andean, and Amazonian cultures.
A deadly mass shooting early on Monday (7 July) in Philadelphia's Grays Ferry neighbourhood left three men dead and nine others wounded, including teenagers, as more than 100 shots were fired.
On July 4, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Khankendi, reaffirming the deep-rooted alliance between the two nations.
Beijing has urged the European Union to tone down its criticism and adopt “less protectionist” policies, after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen accused China of flooding global markets and enabling Russia’s war economy.
Russian-origin aluminium made up 66 % of available London Metal Exchange inventories in June, down three points from May, while Indian metal climbed to 34 %, the exchange’s latest data show.
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission has launched a fresh investigation into TikTok after the platform revealed that some European users’ data had briefly been stored on Chinese servers, contradicting earlier assurances.
Four more survivors from the Greek ship Eternity C were rescued from the Red Sea on Thursday, following a deadly Houthi attack that left ten still missing.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to meet U.S. President Donald Trump during the latter’s anticipated trip to Scotland this month, according to a source familiar with the plans.
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