The recently appointed Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, called a snap election for 28 April, saying he needed a strong mandate because the country was facing ‘the most significant crisis of our lifetimes’ as a result of Donald Trump’s ‘unjustified trade actions and his threats to our sovereignty’. Carney, a former central banker, became the Liberal leader two weeks ago by persuading party members he was the best person to tackle the challenges posed by the US president. Polls suggest the Liberals, who have been in power since 2015 and trailed the Conservative opposition at the start of the year, are slightly ahead of their rivals
