A presidential race shrouded in lingering Trump influences

In the 2025 Canadian federal elections, the shadow of U.S. President Donald Trump loomed large, shaping the electoral landscape until the very last day. On the election day, Trump himself extended an unusual invitation to Canadians, stirring up the ongoing trade war and the ongoing threat of annexation that had been dominating the political scene for far too long.

"Good vibes to the awesome Canadians! Vote for... me!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social network on Monday morning, in a message filled with capital letters and intended to rally Canadians to his cause. The controversial suggestion of absorbing Canada as the 51st state of the United States was met with opposition from all major parties involved in the election campaign.

According to Trump, this annexation would offer Canadians the privilege of being part of the world's most powerful army and being immune to tariffs that severely impacted various sectors, including the automobile and aluminum industries. "Outdated boundaries are just a thing of the past. See how fantastic this land would look," the president added, asserting that annexation would bring only positives, with no drawbacks, for Canadians (source: Le Devoir).

A Trump-themed Eclipse

Typically, major national themes like the cost of living, crime, the environment, and immigration take center stage in political debates. However, this election saw the ongoing trade war with the United States quickly overshadowing these issues, according to André Lamoureux, a political science professor at the University of Quebec in Montreal (source: Le Devoir).

Even if the platforms of different parties were packed with electoral commitments on these diverse themes, they were scarcely discussed during this extended election period, with the trade war acting as the central focus (source: Le Devoir). "Never mistake our kindness for weakness. Let's go vote and send a message to President Trump," the Liberal Party of Canada emphasized repeatedly (source: X).

Important issues like the cost of living, housing, the environment, and others were relegated to the background as the economic issue took center stage (source: Ottawa University). This focus was primarily driven by Trump's actions and benefited the Liberal Party, led by Mark Carney. Conversely, the Conservative Party repeatedly emphasized its commitments to crime reduction and addressing the housing crisis, but, like other parties, its leader, Pierre Poilievre, faced limited media coverage and popular support on other topics relevant to the election (source: Ottawa University).

Result: Many Canadians may have cast their votes without a clear understanding of the parties' positions on crucial issues, as the election campaign only delved into U.S.-Canada relations, leaving other topics mostly unexplored. "It wasn't an exciting election, where major debates would have been a key feature of the campaign," laments Mr. Lamoureux (source: Le Devoir).

The potential construction of pipelines crossing Quebec and discussions about respecting provincial jurisdictions were key issues that reignited passion during the campaign in previous years. However, these topics hardly garnered attention this time around. Similarly, the immigration issue was only lightly touched upon in the debates (source: Le Devoir). Yet, "we have four years ahead of us where countless decisions will have to be made in Ottawa that go beyond the Trump threat," reminds the expert.

Nearly 28.2 million electors were called to the polls on Monday.

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In the 2025 Canadian federal elections, the ongoing trade war with the United States and the threat of annexation overshadowed usual topics such as the cost of living, crime, the environment, and immigration, usually at the center of political debates.
Despite the Liberal Party's focus on U.S.-Canada relations and the Conservative Party's commitment to crime reduction and addressing the housing crisis, many Canadians may have voted without a clear understanding of the parties' positions on crucial issues, as these topics were scarcely discussed during the extended election period.
The annexation proposition offered by Trump was met with opposition from all major parties involved in the election campaign, with the general news usually sidelining war-and-conflicts and policy-and-legislation discussions, but Trump's actions and the trade war dominated the campaign.
Politics typically revolve around numerous themes, but this election saw a shift in focus towards economic issues, with a profound impact on the electoral landscape, as the potential economic benefits associated with annexation served as a rallying cry for Trump's supporters.
As the results show a victory for the Liberal Party under the leadership of Mark Carney, attention will now turn towards the countless decisions that need to be made in Ottawa over the following four years, beyond the Trump threat and away from the trade war, with the immigration issue and the environment possibly becoming more prevalent topics in the future.