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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Following the U.S.-Israel strikes, Iran has called for an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council to be held on Monday (2 March), and vowed strong retaliation to the attacks. Touraj Shiralilou sent this update from Tehran.
Tensions between the U.S. and Iran are escalating, with Washington ordering a significant military build-up in the region and multiple countries evacuating diplomatic staff amid fears of further instability.
Speaking during a closed-door deposition in New York on Thursday (February), former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she did not “recall” ever meeting the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and had “no knowledge of his crimes”.
Pakistan’s declaration of an “open war” with Afghanistan must be understood in the context of months of escalating violence, regional analysts have said, describing the latest developments as a significant shift in the nature of the conflict.
Follow the latest developments and global reaction after the United States and Israel launched "major combat operations" in Iran, prompting retaliation from Tehran.
Tensions between the U.S. and Iran are escalating, with Washington ordering a significant military build-up in the region and multiple countries evacuating diplomatic staff amid fears of further instability.
Two people were killed and around 40 injured when a tram derailed in central Milan on Friday (27 February), a spokesperson for the local fire service said.
The United States is expected to deploy six additional aerial refuelling aircraft to Israel as Washington continues to strengthen its military presence in the Middle East while nuclear negotiations with Iran remain under way.
Pakistani air strikes hit a weapons depot on the western outskirts of Kabul overnight, triggering hours of secondary explosions that rattled homes across the Afghan capital and left residents fearing further violence.
A senior Iranian official has warned Israel to “prepare for what is coming”, insisting that Tehran’s response to the latest escalation in the Middle East will be made openly and without limits.
Cuba has released extensive details of a deadly midweek shootout at sea, showing rifles, pistols and nearly 13,000 rounds of ammunition that it says were carried by a group of exiles who attempted to enter the island by speedboat.
Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers said on Friday (27 February) they were ready to negotiate after Pakistan bombed their forces in several Afghan cities, including Kabul and Kandahar, and Islamabad declared the neighbours were now in "open war".
Tensions between the U.S. and Iran are escalating, with Washington ordering a significant military build-up in the region and multiple countries evacuating diplomatic staff amid fears of further instability.
Two people were killed and around 40 injured when a tram derailed in central Milan on Friday (27 February), a spokesperson for the local fire service said.
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