Straight up – iPolitics

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With only four days left until E-day, the federal election campaign was dominated by a report that U.S. President Donald Trump actually brought up the ’51st state’ during his first call with Liberal Leader Mark Carney, despite Carney saying immediately afterwards that Trump respected Canada’s sovereignty during the call.

That took up most of the oxygen during Carney’s press conference this afternoon in Coquitlam, B.C., where he fielded questions from reporters wondering why the Liberal leader didn’t feel compelled to disclose Trump’s comments, to which he replied by making it clear — “in public, in private and to the president” — that Canada will never become the 51st state, and reiterated that the two leaders agreed that negotiations between “two sovereign nations” will begin after the election.

Carney also cited Trump’s comments yesterday “and earlier,” in which he again contended that Canada would be better off as a state.

“The president brings this up all the time,” he pointed out in response to a follow-up question.

“To be clear, I have said, well before that call and virtually every time that I’ve spoken since that call, that President Trump, and the Americans, want to break us so they can own us,” and that, he stressed, “is why we have the plan.”

Carney also denied that he was somehow not truthful when he initially stated that Trump “respected Canada’s sovereignty,” and also confirmed that yes, he did bring it up, but this was “a discussion between two sovereign countries.” Trump “has this in his mind, and he raises it all the time,” but that’s not where the conversation went, he contended.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was also asked about the report during a morning campaign event in Halifax, N.S., where touted his party’s plan to halt any new taxes or surcharges imposted on “gas-powered or hybrid” vehicles, which he called “the Carney tax.”

On Trump’s comments, the Tory leader said it would be up to Carney to explain what happened during that call, as he wasn’t part of that conversation.

Meanwhile, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh used much stronger language, suggesting Carney  “wasn’t straight up” with Canadians when he initially stated that Trump did not bring up Canada’s sovereignty in their phone call last month.

During his back-and-forth with reporters, Singh again said Carney “was not being straight up,” and “saying one thing when kind of the opposite thing happened,” and reiterated his pitch that the best way to respond to this, or anything else, really, is to “send more New Democrats to Ottawa.”

Singh made the comments during a stop in Winnipeg, Man., where he focused on how his party would “protect workers” in any negotiations with Trump.

You can keep up with all the news by checking out iPolitics‘ live blog, which will run everyday until the federal election. Also, stay tuned to our daily Campaign Countdown newsletter for a recap of the day’s events. You can find that here.

In other news, if the Conservatives are going to win the upcoming election, they will need to make gains in parts of the country where they’ve struggled in recent years.

If public opinion data holds true, the Tories can rely on their traditional regional strongholds in Alberta and Saskatchewan, as well as parts of rural Ontario and Quebec. But, for Pierre Poilievre to become the next prime minister, he needs his party to find seats in other parts of the country.

Perhaps the Conservatives could pick up some New Democrat ridings in B.C., or Bloc Québécois seats in Quebec, but, ideally for Poilievre, the party would make in-roads in more Liberal regions, particularly in the vote-rich Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

This is why Jonathan Malloy, a political science professor at Carleton University, described Vaughan—Woodbridge as “exactly the kind of riding [the Conservatives] need to win.”

Davis Legree takes a look at the riding in our latest Battleground Breakdown. Also, in case you missed it, we also previewed the race in the new district of Milton East—Halton Hill South. 

In Other Headlines

Internationally

U.S. President Donald Trump offered rare criticism of Vladimir Putin on Thursday, urging the Russian leader to “STOP!” after a deadly barrage of attacks on Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital.

“I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying.” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. “Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!”

Russia struck Kyiv with an hours-long barrage of missiles and drones. At least 12 people were killed and 90 were injured in the deadliest assault on the city since last July.

Trump’s frustration is growing as a U.S.-led effort to get a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia has not made progress.

AP has more on that.

Elsewhere, gangs trying to seize full control of Haiti’s capital have killed at least four soldiers and four armed civilians who worked with law enforcement to protect their communities, an official said Thursday.

Lionel Lazarre, spokesman for Haiti’s National Police, told Radio Caraïbes that two soldiers and four civilians were killed in Kenscoff, a once peaceful community on the outskirts of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Two other soldiers and an undetermined number of civilians were killed in the community of Pacot inside the capital, he said.

On Wednesday night, the government said that at least four police officers and armed civilians from the community of Canapé-Vert, one of the few neighbourhoods not controlled by gangs, were killed in the attacks.

AP also has the latest on that.

In Other International Headlines