Canadians will head to the polls on Monday, April 28, following a snap election call set for Sunday, March 23, sources have confirmed. In a dramatic twist, Prime Minister Mark Carney will personally enter the fray, running as the Liberal candidate in the Ottawa riding of Nepean.
The Liberal Party announced Carney’s candidacy late Saturday via a post on X: “Ottawa is where @MarkJCarney raised his family, devoted his career to public service, and always gave back to his community.” The Nepean nomination opened this week after the sudden disqualification of incumbent Liberal MP Chandra Arya by the party’s Green Light Committee, which cited “new information” in its review process.
Carney, who assumed leadership of the Liberals on March 9 following Justin Trudeau’s resignation on January 6, will request that Governor General Mary Simon dissolve Parliament on Sunday, launching a 37-day campaign—the shortest allowed under Canadian law. Elections Canada mandates a federal election period of 37 to 51 days, including both the writ drop and voting day. The last federal election, held in summer 2021, also spanned 37 days.
This tight schedule means advance polling will coincide with Easter weekend. Parliament, prorogued since Trudeau’s exit, was slated to resume Monday, but Carney’s move sidesteps a throne speech and potential confidence votes that could have toppled his minority government. Notably, Carney currently holds no seat in the House of Commons.