By Promod Puri

Thanks to US President Donald Trump’s erratic behavior and idiocy, Canadian politics has dramatically shifted to the benefit of one major political party which was on the verge of total disaster at the upcoming federal election. 

But Trump’s tariffs and threats to Canada’s sovereignty has completely changed the fortunes of the federal Liberal Party with support reaching well over 30 percent support, dramatically up from 10 percent from January. The gap is closing fast with the Conservative Party, which is still ahead with 40 percent support.

The Liberals just elected a new leader in Mark Carney, replacing Justin Trudeau. Carney, the front-runner, was crowned Sunday night  and he arrives as a fresh face with a clean slate and heavyweight credentials of a seasoned economist.

The Liberals’ resurgence is largely credited to their firm, pragmatic approach in countering Trump’s erratic trade threats, tariff flip-flops, and rhetoric that directly challenges Canada’s economic security and even its sovereignty.

Dealing with Trump and his frequent bizarre announcements are the day-to-day issues that dominate the Canadian political scene, which the Trudeau government is handling effectively with the spirit of nationalism and patriotism.

Meanwhile, domestic concerns championed by the Conservatives—soaring living costs, housing woes, rising crime, and an overburdened healthcare system—have been overshadowed by the ever-looming Trump factor, which aims to bankrupt Canada and make current problems much worse.

Moreover, the Conservative leader, Pierre Poilievre, is still popularly perceived as a Canadian version of Trump, using similar phrases of ‘fake news,’ ‘radical left,’ and ‘common sense.’

The coming weeks will be engaging in Canadian politics, which can see a rollercoaster swing until the federal elections, which must be held before October 20. The election will most likely be scheduled for this spring.

Promod Puri is a veteran journalist and author and founder of the first Indo-Canadian English language newspaper The LINK.