Yesterday’s Canadian election results came as a surprise for many. The liberal party has retained power in what was supposed to be an anti incumbency election. The election has some broader messages for the world. Firstly the election was centered around Donald Trump and he proved to be an equally polarizing figure outside the US boundaries too. The conservatives and their leader Poilievre could not play down their closeness to trump but their campaign on high cost of living got them a record vote share but in a polarizing election the smaller and regional parties and their causes could not attract enough attention. We in India also have been seeing this over the last decade. For the Indo-Canadian relations this doesn’t seem to be offering much hope. The previous liberal government had taken strong exception to alleged interventions by the Indian intelligence agencies including the assassination of pro Khalistan leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The issue became a serious matter with public spate and showdown between the leaders of both countries. With a sizable non resident population there we need to normalize relations as soon as possible. Canada has had a difficult yet resilient economic situation since COVID but is still receiving record levels of immigrants. Though inflation has been high, low unemployment levels have moderated the affect and was visible electorally. Prime Minister carney’s call for lower internal trade barriers and higher government spending including investments have received support again due to better employment prospects. The results are encouraging for the liberals world over facing a legitimacy deficit in a conservative populist surge.
