On March 23, 2025, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a snap election scheduled for April 28, 2025. A snap election is one that takes place earlier than planned; the general election was originally set for October 2025.
Carney’s announcement comes just a week after he was sworn in as Prime Minister following Justin Trudeau’s resignation. Canada is currently facing a political crisis, while tensions with its neighbour, the U.S., continue to escalate.
Since taking office in January, U.S. President Donald Trump has taken an aggressive stance toward Canada, even calling for its annexation into the U.S., referring to it as America’s 51st state, and calling former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “Governor Trudeau.” Trump has repeatedly threatened Canada with tariffs, and the U.S. has already imposed a 25% tariff on Canadian aluminium and steel. Starting April 2, 2025—dubbed “Liberation Day” by President Trump—the U.S. began imposing reciprocal tariffs on its trade partners. In response, Canada is urgently seeking stronger friendship across the Atlantic.
Against this backdrop, Mark Carney replaced Justin Trudeau as leader of the Liberal Party in early March 2025 and was sworn in as Prime Minister following Trudeau’s resignation in January. In his election announcement speech, PM Carney said that Canada is facing most significant crisis of its time due to President Trump’s policies and that he needs a clear mandate to navigate through it.
Contenders
Canada’s major political parties include the Liberal Party, the Conservative Party, the Bloc Québécois, and the New Democratic Party (NDP). Currently, the Liberal Party, supported by the NDP, governs the country. The main political contest is between the Liberals, led by Mark Carney, and the Conservatives, led by Perrie Poilievre.
Mark Carney, the sitting Prime Minister and leader of the Liberal Party, has a background in banking, having previously led two major institutions—the Bank of England and the Bank of Canada. Although he has never held elected office, he is valued for his economic expertise and experience negotiating with President Trump during Trump’s first term at the G7 and G20 summits. Pierre Poilievre was one of the youngest Members of Parliament at the age of 25. His platform emphasises small government and an “anti-woke” stance, opposing Liberal policies. His policies and rhetoric closely align with those of the American Republican Party.
Polling Trends
Until December 2024, the incumbent Liberal Party was so unpopular that Prime Minister Trudeau was forced to resign. At the time, the Conservatives were polling high, buoyed by the Republican Party’s sweeping election victory in the U.S., with data indicating they were the clear favourites to win the next Canadian election. However, President Trump’s subsequent “America First” policies backfired on the Canadian Conservative campaign. Since January, when Trudeau announced his resignation, voter sentiment has shifted. The Conservative’s lead of 40 percentage points over the Liberals has steadily dwindled since, and the Liberals are now leading in all major polls.
Why It Matters to India
India-Canada diplomatic relations are at an all-time low. Both countries expelled each other’s diplomats after Prime Minister Trudeau accused Indian intelligence of being linked to the killing of Canadian citizen and separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar—an allegation categorically denied by India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), calling it “absurd.” In its official response, the MEA criticized Trudeau’s “hostility” toward India, calling it a political agenda.
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) alleges that Indian agents and their proxies were involved in assisting Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative Party leadership campaign. CSIS’s deputy director of operations also stated that “India has the intent and capability to interfere in Canadian communities and democratic processes.”
With nearly 1.85 million Indian-origin people residing in Canada, the country has one of the largest Indian diasporas in the world. Both countries were previously in talks for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), but the outcome of this election will shape the future of India-Canada relations.
In March 2025, a spokesperson for India’s MEA stated that “India hopes to rebuild ties with Canada” after Trudeau’s exit. After taking office, PM Carney expressed his government’s intent to seek “opportunities to rebuild ties with India.” Pierre Poilievre has also gone on record, calling Trudeau “incompetent and unprofessional” in handling India-Canada relations and pledging to restore ties with India if he becomes Prime Minister.
The outcome of this election will mark a new chapter in India-Canada relations
