PM candidate hints Liberals could suspend election over Trump’s trade war
Liberal MP Karina Gould says Ottawa could delay the next election if a U.S. trade war comes to fruition. “That might be a reason not to go to the polls,” she told reporters.
Liberal MP Karina Gould believes the upcoming federal election could be delayed if a U.S. trade war comes to fruition. “That might be a reason not to go to the polls,” she told reporters last Thursday.
Section 4 of the Charter stipulates that Parliament may be extended beyond the five year maximum in the event of a “war, invasion or insurrection.”
“I think we need to see where we are on March 9,” said Gould, one of several candidates vying to replace Justin Trudeau as prime minister.
Mark Carney also faced a political firestorm for prior remarks where he threatened to use “emergency powers” for his green energy aims, and curtail democracy.
Liberal leadership candidate Karina Gould: "If we are in a full blown tariff war with the U.S., that might be a reason not to go to the polls." pic.twitter.com/JOlqcPPAYK
— Juno News (@junonewscom) February 14, 2025
Under the Canada Election Act, the next scheduled election is slated for October 20, 2025. Both Gould and Carney discussed the possibility of a spring snap election but made no promises.
“There would have to be an agreement with the opposition parties if we were to do that,” said Gould, “but I think whatever decision we take has to be one that is responsible for Canadians.”
“If Parliament needs to be recalled for certain reasons, it will be,” confirmed Carney.
The controversial prorogation of Parliament ends on March 24, followed by a confidence vote two days later. “We are in a minority government,” continued Gould, “so it’s not just up to the government at the time.”
“It’s a very fluid situation,” Carney said on trade discussions with the Americans.
In Kelowna today, Mark Carney promises to abuse the emergency powers of the federal government to build green energy projects and "take on the Americans."
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) February 12, 2025
Enjoy your tariff lockdowns, everyone. pic.twitter.com/GxaRKUsxbP
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Canada with 25% tariffs last November 25 for not addressing its porous borders. He doubled down on similar tariffs for Canadian steel and aluminum last week.
“The demands of the … president change on an almost daily basis, as do the timelines,” claimed Carney, who believes it is best to evaluate the situation come mid-March.
A campaign rally in Kelowna, British Columbia saw the banker threaten to fight Americans, using “emergency powers” to “accelerate the major projects we need to build this economy.”
Carney says the tariff war is a “wake up call for Canadians,” having promised tax hikes on steel producers to counter ongoing tariffs. He also wants “nation-building” projects, though not likely oil and gas.
#WATCH: Mark Carney declares a state of crisis in Canada and says govt has the ability through extraordinary powers to manage the crisis Donald Trump caused.
— govt.exe is corrupt (@govt_corrupt) February 5, 2025
Once installed, Mark Carney will delay the election and Canada will be under full control of an authoritarian dictator! pic.twitter.com/ony965gixU
New polling from Nanos Research says Canadians believe in Carney (40%) over the Conservatives (26%) to negotiate with Trump, a shocking turn of events which some pollsters consider improbable.
“The Government of Canada has extraordinary powers at its disposal today to respond to a national crisis,” he previously told reporters on February 5. “And Donald Trump’s aggression towards Canadian livelihoods and workers constitutes just such a crisis.”
The central banker previously endorsed extra-judicial powers in a column that characterized anti-lockdown protests as seditious acts.
He called for convoy supporters to be “identified” and “punished” to the fullest extent of the law. “Our Constitution is based on peace, order and good government. We must live up to this founding principle in order to protect all our freedoms.”
Alex Dhaliwal
Journalist and Writer
Alex Dhaliwal is a Political Science graduate from the University of Calgary. He has actively written on relevant Canadian issues with several prominent interviews under his belt.
Help fund Alex's journalism!
COMMENTS
-
Bruce Atchison commented 2025-02-18 22:42:35 -0500The REAL reason for suspending the election would be to give the Liberals to reward all their friends and rob us broke. But it’ll backfire as so many of us want an election. And of course it would be a selling point for Pierre Poilievre to have folks vote for him. I sometimes wish America would do to Canada what they did to Granada in 1983. The Liberals are dangerous and must be evicted from the House of Commons. They don’t represent us commoners one bit.
-
Bernhard Jatzezck commented 2025-02-18 22:03:57 -0500“Could” suspend election? We’re talking Liberals and Trudeau here. “Could” is a hint of a “will”. If we ever have an election again, it’ll be in October at the earliest as that’s when a lot of Dippers will qualify for their pensions, including my own MP. -
Crude Sausage commented 2025-02-18 12:56:52 -0500I fully believe that they will use any excuse to hold onto power, and that Jughead will enable them to do so. They will treat it like a war, but the reality is that the war is between the Liberals and the people.
