PM Carney to call election on Sunday with vote as soon as April 28: sources

Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to call a snap federal election on Sunday that would set the stage for a vote as soon as April 28, sources confirm to CTV News.

The sources say a final decision on whether election day will be April 28 or May 5 has yet to be decided, but will be made shortly.

Carney was sworn in as prime minister on March 14 after winning the Liberal leadership race just days prior. Now, he’s slated to go back to Rideau Hall and ask Gov. Gen. Mary Simon to dissolve the 44th Parliament.

Asked by reporters on Thursday about the looming election call at an announcement in Edmonton, Carney would not answer directly but said “the first person who will know whether the recommendation to call an election, it will be the governor general, as for convention.”

“The government needs a strong and clear mandate,” Carney said. “We’re offering a positive vision for the country, a vision of action. You can see the action that’s happened. I haven’t been prime minister for a week yet, and you can see what we’ve done thus far. We can do even more with that strong and clear mandate to move forward for the country, for all Canadians.”

Business on the Hill was set to return this coming Monday after being prorogued for two months following former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation announcement.

By calling an election on Sunday, Carney will not have to present a throne speech or face confidence votes that could bring the Liberal minority government down. Carney also does not currently have a seat in the House of Commons.

Since Trudeau’s resignation and U.S. President Donald Trump’s inauguration, the Liberals have seen a surge in many polls. According to the latest Nanos Research survey – released Tuesday – the Conservatives are leading by just one point with 35 per cent of federal voting intention, while the Liberals sit at 34 per cent.

Trump and his trade war – and who is best to deal with that – are likely to be the ballot box issue. That same Nanos Research survey says Trump and U.S. relations is the top issue of national concern at 26.8 per cent, followed by jobs and the economy at 16.7 per cent.

Other pollsters agree that what just two months ago looked like the Conservative’s election to lose, is now a toss up. With more voters tuned in to Canadian politics right now, the numbers could continue to be volatile over the weeks ahead.

“It’s an election that’s going to be worth watching,” Pollara Chief Strategist Dan Arnold said. “We’ve got two rookie leaders in their first national campaigns, so I think there’s a lot of potential for ups and downs, especially with the wild card south of the border, which I’m sure will be put into this campaign in some way or another.

“For a long time, Pierre Poilievre could kind of get by on being ‘not Justin Trudeau,’” Arnold continued. “But now there’s another ‘not Justin Trudeau’ on the ballot as well, too. So people are taking a closer look at him. Both leaders have an opportunity to kind of shape opinions of themselves, to get better known in a good way or a bad way, and that can lead to both numbers rising or falling.”

Reacting to the news that the long-anticipated and now-imminent election call both Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh signalled they are ready to make their case to Canadians why they’re best placed to meet the moment.

“I want to bring it home, and that’s why we need to put Canada first. It’s time to bring home our jobs, energy and economic sovereignty,” said Poilievre who has been in campaign mode all week, making near daily policy announcements.

Singh framed the choice voters have as being between Carney and Poilievre “who have already shown you they’re in it for the billionaires,” or the New Democrats, who he said “are going to continue to fight for you and your family.”

Carney has yet to announce where he intends to run for his first-ever seat in the House of Commons, though speculation has swirled that it could be in his former Alberta stomping grounds, a downtown Toronto constituency, or in a riding in the nation’s capital.

The federal election is coming months ahead of the fixed election date, and while some adjustments have been made, many of the rule changes the government was hoping to implement were not approved by Parliament before it was prorogued.

One major change with this campaign is that, following a recent federal electoral district redistribution, there are now 343 seats up for grabs, up from the current 338 ridings

CTVNews.ca will have in-depth coverage on Sunday and exclusive reporting throughout the campaign. A CTV News Special Report will be hosted by CTV News Chief Anchor & Senior News Editor Omar Sachedina and Chief Political Correspondent Vassy Kapelos on Sunday and will be streaming on all platforms.

This is a developing story. More details to come.

With files from CTV News’ Vassy Kapelos