Canadian PM Mark Carney calls snap election as he says Donald Trump 'wants to break us' with trade war
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has called a snap election for 28 April.
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Announcing the news, he said he wants a "strong, positive mandate from my fellow Canadians".
"There is so much more to do to secure Canada," he told reporters outside Rideau Hall.
Mr Carney's governing Liberal party has seen a surge in popularity after Donald Trump's repeated calls to make the country the 51st US state.
The US President's almost daily attacks on Canada's sovereignty have been accompanied by a 25% tariffs on the country's steel and aluminium.
Mr Carney said today Mr Trump's trade war is one of the "most significant threats of our lifetimes".
"He wants to break us so America will own us. We will not let that happen," he added.
The opposition Conservatives had hoped to make the election about former Liberal Prime Minister Mr Trudeau.
His popularity plunged amid a surge in food and housing prices and immigration spiralling rates of immigration.
But Mr Trump's actions have now appeared to bolster the Liberals in the polls, with Mr Carney hoping to capitalise on this momentum.
The former Bank of England governor replaced Mr Justin Trudeau after he announced his resignation in January.
Mr Trudeau remained in power until the Liberal Party elected a new leader on 9 March following a leadership race by the governing party.
Mr Carney still has not had a phone call with Mr Trump and that might not happen now until after the election.
During his March victory speech, Mr Carney took aim at Mr Trump by saying Canada cannot let him "succeed and we won't".
But the US President has not yet appeared to mention Mr Carney's name, despite repeatedly mocking his predecessor Mr Trudeau.
Mr Carney, 60, was the head of the Bank of Canada during the 2008 financial crisis.
In 2013, he became the first non citizen of the United Kingdom to run the Bank of England - helping to manage the impact of Brexit.