Canada election 2025: Who could win and how big an influence is Donald Trump?

SkyNews - 18/04
The Canadian federal election was called against the backdrop of a trade war with the US and threats from Donald Trump to make Canada part of America. As the country gears up to head to the polls on 28 April, here is everything you need to know.

Canada will head to the polls on 28 April to choose a new prime minister.

Mark Carney, who is the former governor of the Bank of England, announced the snap election on 23 March after he replaced Justin Trudeau as leader.

Mr Trudeau left the job after growing calls to step down from his MPs amid poor showings in opinion polls.

What seemed like a clear-cut race for the opposition Conservatives, who had enjoyed a double-digit lead over the Liberals before Mr Trudeau resigned, has turned into the Liberals gaining a lead in the polls - with the election called against the backdrop of a trade war with the US and threats from Donald Trump to make Canada part of America.

Here is everything you need to know.

What political parties are in the running?

There are four main political parties in Canada: Liberal, Conservative, New Democratic Party and Bloc Quebecois.

Out of these, only two - Liberal and Conservative - have the chance to get the 172 seats needed to form a majority government.

Image: Mark Carney (Liberal), Yves-Francois Blanchet (Bloc Quebecois), Jagmeet Singh (New Democratic Party) and Pierre Poilievre (Conservative) before a leader's debate. Pic: Reuters

Similarly to how elections work in the UK, Canada uses the first-past-the-post electoral system. On 28 April, residents will vote for the MP of their local area - known as ridings or electoral districts.

The main parties are bidding for a majority of the 343 seats in Canada's House of Commons, with the leader of the party with a majority in parliament becoming prime minister.

If no party ends up with an overall majority of seats, the result is known as a hung parliament or a minority government.

So what do the Liberal and Conservative leaders stand for?

Image: Liberal Party leader and current prime minister, Mark Carney. Pic: Reuters

Mark Carney - Liberal Party

Mr Carney was voted by the Liberal Party to take over as Canadian leader after the resignation of Mr Trudeau, winning 85.9% of the party's vote.

On paper, the 60-year-old is a ...
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