A day after the federal Liberals swept all three byelection seats up for grabs, new and prominent allies are tying themselves to the man universally agreed to have guaranteed the win: Prime Minister Mark Carney. CTV News spoke with nearly two dozen voters outside a polling station in North Vancouver during voting on Monday, and all but one said it was easy to decide to cast a ballot for the Liberal candidate, since they were pleased with how Carney was managing the trade war with the U.S.—and his handling of its mercurial president. “There’s a lot of goodwill for Mark Carney and his (economic) plan in North Vancouver–Capilano,” acknowledged MP-elect, Braeden Caley, when asked if he credited the trade war with ensuring his win in the Liberal stronghold. “In the final few days, as threats of tariffs became very real tariffs, (locals) saw the prime minister’s response and the need to really connect it to a detailed follow-through on the North Shore, and that’s what we promised.” Carney told reporters in Ottawa that voters gave him a “clear message” that “Canadians are behind the plan of the government, which is first and foremost about building strong at home, diversifying with reliable partners.” B.C.’s premier congratulated Carney “on the strong showing of public support for his unambiguous agenda about strengthening Canada, about diversifying our trade relationships.” David Eby went on to say he wasn’t surprised voters supported that agenda, and that “it’s an agenda that I enthusiastically endorse.” He has done so repeatedly in recent weeks and months. Pundits and political advisors have all read the same message in the results, and with municipal elections on the horizon in B.C., it appears more elected officials may start vocalizing support for the prime minister’s approach. On Tuesday morning, Vancouver’s mayor issued a news release acknowledging trade uncertainty in the midst of the trade war and tariff battle, which he hasn’t focused on until now. “Prime Minister Mark Carney and his team are best placed to lead us through this, and we are supporting these efforts without adding unnecessary noise to the process,” reads Ken Sim’s statement, which then attempted to link drug use and crime to the economy. “Affordability and safety aren’t separate issues,” wrote Sim. “They are both about giving people the stability to plan for the future, raise their families, and build their lives here.”
