Canadian voters have reposed faith in the Liberal Party that has ruled them for a decade, returning Prime Minister Mark Carney and his team to office in a dramatic election that was turned on its head by a man who is not even Canadian: Donald Trump. Just three months ago, the Opposition Conservative Party was poised for a landslide win, with a more than 20% lead in polls over the Liberals. Yet, as
Mr Trump came to power as president of the United States of America and threatened Canada with high tariffs and possible annexation, the political climate changed. The Conservative leader, Pierre Poilievre, who had previously touted some of Mr Trump’s populist talking points, suddenly appeared — to many Canadians — a weaker bet against the US president than the Liberals who also switched out their leader, the former prime minister, Justin Trudeau, for Mr Carney.

Mr Trudeau and then Mr Carney — who has previously headed the central banks of Canada and England — consistently pushed back against Mr Trump, locking horns with him while coming across as confident in their abilities to defend their country’s interests. From just about 20% in the polls in late January, the Liberals won nearly 44% of the vote in the recent elections.

The Liberal Party, which fell just short of the majority mark in the House of Commons, will need the support of smaller parties to pass laws. But as long as it can position itself as Canada’s vanguard against Mr Trump, it should have little difficulty there. The Conservatives and the New Democratic Party have suffered devastating defeats. Their leaders, Mr Poilievre and Jagmeet Singh, both lost their own seats. For Mr Carney, the challenge starts now: the rhetoric against Mr Trump worked well on the campaign trail but the balance of power between the US and Canada is such that it would not be easy for Ottawa to clash with Washington for long. Moreover, the affordability crisis that turned so many Canadians against Mr Trudeau has not gone anywhere. The Indian government, which some reports have suggested has backed Mr Poilievre previously, has had a very tense relationship with Mr Trudeau in recent times, especially over Canada’s accusation that Indian agents had assassinated the Sikh separatist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in 2023. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has, in congratulating Mr Carney, effectively offered a fresh start to Ottawa. Mr Carney should respond positively. It is time for an India-Canada reset.