WORLD

Carney, Poilievre face off nationally and locally

Agence France-Presse · Apr 8, 2025, 1:24 AM

POLITICAL SPOTLIGHT. The office of Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre on April 1, in Manotick, a suburb of Ottawa and in the Carleton electoral district where Poilievre is popular. Poilievre has become a national political figure, Just a few weeks ago, all the polls had him widely tipped to win the election and become Prime Minister against the now unpopular Liberals. But the return of US President Donald Trump has reshuffled the cards in Canadian politics, and the race is now shaping up to be a very tight one. In terms of voting intentions, Mark Carney now has a slight lead. — AFP

In a quaint restaurant on the outskirts of Canada’s capital, Sandra McCormack spent a recent morning talking politics with friends in an area that is suddenly in the political spotlight.

The area’s neighboring electoral districts — Carleton and Nepean — are starkly different: Carleton is largely rural, picturesque and dotted with small farms, while Nepean is a suburban Ottawa neighborhood, packed with strip malls and single-family homes.

But the districts have something in common ahead of Canada’s 28 April election — one of them will elect the next prime minister.

The Liberal Party leader, Prime Minister Mark Carney, is running in Nepean, while Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is the candidate for Carleton.

Poilievre was born in the western city of Calgary, entered politics after university, and has represented Carleton in parliament since 2004.

Over breakfast in Carleton’s Manotick area, the 77-year-old McCormack recalled the first campaign of the Tory leader, known locally as just Pierre.

“He looked like a 15-year-old,” she told AFP.