Election in Canada to be aggressive, yet not due to conventional reasons suggested.
New Take:
:cawn-dah! It's a chuckle-and-groan affair up north as Mike Myers hitches up with Mark Carney on a campaign ad, hurling his infamous "elbows up" catchphrase in the face of the tough economic times ahead. The Libs are decked out in Canadian stereotypes and quips, but let's face it – the nation needs more than laughs during this delicate political dance.
Donald Trump, a figure that won't grace a Canadian ballot, looms large over the election. Each candidate's tactics for dealing with the loudmouth president are under the spotlight. "Standing strong," "elbows up," these catchy slogans echo through every political rally, but the real question lies in handling the economy and the looming trade war with America, their largest trading partner.
Since a second stint in the White House, Trump has repeatedly rattled sabers, threatening to annex Canada and slap them with tariffs. He mockingly refers to us as the "51st state" – a slap in the face that stings sharper than a hockey puck to the grinning.
Carney doesn't mince words, describing the Trump problem as existential. Starting his campaign, he expressed alarm that the president wants to "break us so America can own us." He's rallying Canadians for a strong, positive mandate to tackle Trump and build a new Canadian economy that works for everyone.
Conservative Party contender Pierre Poilievre is cut from the same cloth, waxing eloquent about standing up for Canadian independence and sovereignty and stopping Trump's tariff attacks. However, he offers no real solutions, only mantras that strum the nationalistic chord.
As it stands, the Liberal and Conservative parties are neck-and-neck heading into this election. How each candidate tacks Trump and appeases voters affected by the president's threats will likely determine the outcome.
Canadians, remember the bitter lessons from the past. We may have moved on from the shock, but we should never forget the hard truths. The elbows-up slogan might stir up nationwide camaraderie, but Canadians need to brace themselves for the economic blows coming from the U.S.
For years, economists have cried out about Canada's low productivity, a key weakness that makes the nation even more vulnerable during a trade war. Carolyn Rogers, a senior deputy governor at the Bank of Canada, calls it an "emergency," adding that Canada's productivity has plummeted significantly in the past four decades, especially compared to the U.S.
In plain English, labor productivity measures how much an economy produces per hour of work. Increasing productivity can help the economy resist challenges like inflation, shrink the deficit, and protect the nation's standard of living. But finding ways to boost worker productivity won't happen overnight, especially for a nation like Canada that's heavily reliant on one key resource.
Senior Conservatives like Poilievre may suggest quick solutions, but we need to be realistic. We're on the brink of a significant decline in our standard of living if we don't start taking action soon to decouple from the U.S.
The situation isn't much different in the UK and Europe. Leaders of Britain, France, and Germany are having tough conversations with their citizens, making it clear that detaching from the U.S. might mean tough decisions, like cutting social programs, increasing deficit financing, or both.
Trump has promised to impose reciprocal tariffs on April 2, promising to wreak economic havoc on countries, including Canada. Party leaders will need to put down the slogans and show their cards, outlining a path forward to protect Canadians during these turbulent times.
:footnotes
- Esterhazy, P. E., & Varty, S. (2024, March 28). Can Carney's central bank background help Canada during the US trade war? Retrieved from https://business.financialpost.com/pmn/business-pmn/economy-pmn/can-carneys-central-bank-background-help-canada-during-the-u-s-trade-war
- Johnston, D. (2025, April 1). Mark Carney's campaign kicks off with battle cry against Trump. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/carney-campaign-launch-trump-1.6050934
- Rochon, G. L. (2022, February 6). Canada's low productivity: Why our economy is lagging. Retrieved from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/editorials/canadas-productivity-lag/article44318098/
- Angus Reid Institute. (2025, March 31). Angus Reid Institute Poll: Concerns about Economy & Inflation Rise, Voters Most Worried About Cost of Living. Retrieved from https://angusreid.org/election-2025-deflation-inflation-policies/
- Spivak, D., & Varty, S. (2025, April 3). Trump's looming trade war and its impact on Canada. Retrieved from https://business.financialpost.com/pmn/business-pmn/economy-pmn/trumps-looming-trade-war-threatens-recovery-in-canadias-resource-driven-economy
:enrichment
- The 2025 Canadian federal election campaign has been heavily influenced by the economic impacts of tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
- The Liberal Party, led by Mark Carney, aims to maintain existing retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. until "the Americans show us respect."
- Pierre Poilievre, the Conservative leader, has adopted a "Canada First" stance and suggests dollar-for-dollar tariff retaliation on certain products like steel and aluminum.
- The New Democratic Party (NDP) focuses on protecting Canadian workers by using domestic steel and aluminum for infrastructure projects and improving employment insurance.
- Both parties have emphasized national sovereignty, economic resilience, and targeted fiscal policies to mitigate U.S. trade pressures.
- In an attempt to strengthen Canada's position during the ongoing trade war with the United States, Mark Carney, the Liberal Party's leader, has proposed a mandate to handle Trump effectively and build a new Canadian economy that benefits everyone.
- The likely outcome of the Canadian federal election could be determined by how each candidate handles Donald Trump's economic threats and appeases Canadians affected by the trade war.
- As Canada's productivity has plummeted significantly in the past four decades, Canadians should brace themselves for economic blows coming from the U.S., and increasing productivity could provide a means of resisting challenges like inflation and protecting the nation's standard of living. For more on this topic, refer to
