The ruling Liberal Party seemed to be heading for a clear defeat in the Canadian election.
But with growing concern over trade war with the US and the southern neighbor's president Donald Trump, the Liberal Party has seen its numbers rise.
We don't need chaos, we need calm and quiet. We don't need anger, we need someone adult, said Prime Minister Mark Carney, former central bank chief in Canada and the UK, in a speech the other day.
When Donald Trump spoke of Canada as a "51st state", Carney emphasized that the neighboring country in the south can no longer be trusted.
That didn't stop Trump from writing on Truth Social on Monday that Canada would be better off as a state in the US.
"Stay away"
Trump also hinted that Canadians should vote for him. "Choose the man who has the strength and wisdom to halve your taxes (and) increase your military power, free of charge, to the highest in the world", he wrote – and got a direct response from Carney's challenger, Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre.
"President Trump, stay away from our election. The only ones who decide over Canada's future are the Canadian people at the ballot box", he writes on X and continues:
"Canada will always be a proud, sovereign and independent state and will NEVER become a 51st state".
Parallels with Trump
Pierre Poilievre has a more frank and populist approach with a strong focus on wallet issues than Carney and parallels between Poilievre and Donald Trump have been drawn.
You won't be able to handle four more years of this, said Poilievre in a campaign speech over the weekend, referring to a liberal government.
The 45-year-old opposition leader has also previously criticized the US president, but also emphasized that The Liberal Party has made Canada particularly vulnerable to such attacks.
The first election results are expected shortly after 01 am, Tuesday morning, Swedish time.
